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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. stock — goods
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. swing — music
  5. ground — crushed
  6. stock — shares
  7. kick — in football
  8. ground — the earth
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. swing — in golf
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. saw — the tool
  15. kid — child
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. sharp — clever
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. swing — to play on
  21. saw — the tool
  22. ground — a position
  23. kid — to tease
  24. patient — calm and waiting

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com