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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. spring — of water
  3. last — to go on
  4. plane — a tool
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. spring — a coil
  10. sharp — clever
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. last — finally
  13. last — final
  14. rush — hurry
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. stock — goods
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. spring — the season
  20. ball — a great time
  21. stock — shares
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. ball — a dance
  24. sharp — exactly

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