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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. fine — high quality
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. sharp — clever
  6. clip — for paper
  7. bear — the animal
  8. fine — all right
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. deal — to handle
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. clip — a video
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. bear — the animal
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. stock — goods
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. clip — to cut
  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