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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 120 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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  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. stock — a soup base
  3. wound — an injury
  4. cell — in biology
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. craft — boats
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. lean — thin
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. wound — an injury
  11. stock — goods
  12. ground — the earth
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. ground — a position
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. craft — a skill
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. ground — crushed
  21. lean — to bend
  22. fork — in a road
  23. cell — a phone
  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