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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. mark — a trace
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. stock — shares
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. land — ground
  8. sharp — clever
  9. land — to come down
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. stock — goods
  12. cap — a hat
  13. cap — of ice
  14. chest — of your body
  15. cap — a lid
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. kick — in football
  18. land — a country
  19. chest — a box
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. mark — a grade
  22. chest — of your body
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. sharp — with an edge

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