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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 124 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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. staff — employees
  3. squash — to crush
  4. stock — shares
  5. kick — in football
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. rest — what's left
  8. wound — an injury
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. wound — an injury
  13. staff — employees
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. rest — what's left
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. sharp — clever
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. squash — the sport
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. stock — goods
  24. rest — a break

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