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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. branch — a division
  3. pit — in a race
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. mate — a friend
  6. stock — shares
  7. pitch — completely
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. pit — a hole
  10. stock — goods
  11. kid — child
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. mate — a partner
  14. mate — to breed
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. saw — the tool
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. saw — the tool
  23. sharp — clever
  24. branch — of a tree

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