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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. can — a tin
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. file — a tool
  7. pit — a hole
  8. stock — shares
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. can — a tin
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. pit — in a race
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. file — a document
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. can — to be able to
  21. sharp — clever
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. stock — goods
  24. file — a line of people

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