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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 116 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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. squash — the sport
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. sharp — clever
  7. pass — a permit
  8. cap — a hat
  9. squash — to crush
  10. stock — shares
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. stock — goods
  14. game — a match
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. cap — a lid
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. kick — in football
  19. cap — of ice
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. nail — for a hammer

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