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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. wound — an injury
  4. pop — to visit
  5. craft — boats
  6. stock — goods
  7. last — finally
  8. last — to go on
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. foot — a measure
  11. last — final
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. craft — a skill
  17. stock — shares
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. pop — soda
  20. fork — in a road
  21. wound — an injury
  22. pop — music
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. craft — a handicraft

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