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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. rash — a series
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. cue — for pool
  7. season — in sport
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. band — a music group
  10. season — of the year
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. stock — goods
  14. band — a ring
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. rash — hasty
  19. cue — a signal
  20. cue — a hint
  21. stock — shares
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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