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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. wound — an injury
  3. saw — the tool
  4. fine — high quality
  5. spring — a coil
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. stock — shares
  8. spring — of water
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. charge — electricity
  12. stock — goods
  13. pit — in a race
  14. pit — a hole
  15. fine — all right
  16. charge — in control
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. charge — a price
  19. ground — crushed
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. wound — an injury
  22. ground — a position
  23. ground — the earth
  24. spring — the season

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