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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. court — of law
  4. court — for sport
  5. stock — goods
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. court — of a king
  8. kick — in football
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. lean — thin
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. spring — of water
  17. bear — the animal
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. spring — a coil
  21. lean — to bend
  22. spring — the season
  23. bear — the animal
  24. stock — shares

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