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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 supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. rush — hurry
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. sharp — clever
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. ground — a position
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. spell — magic
  12. stock — shares
  13. ground — crushed
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. ground — the earth
  16. last — to go on
  17. last — final
  18. spell — a short time
  19. pitch — completely
  20. board — to get on
  21. spell — letters
  22. last — finally
  23. board — a committee
  24. rush — to hurry

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