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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 one o'clock ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. stock — shares
  4. press — to push
  5. field — a subject
  6. stock — goods
  7. press — newspapers
  8. tube — a container
  9. sharp — clever
  10. hand — in cards
  11. tube — the underground
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. craft — boats
  16. craft — a skill
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. hand — help
  21. field — for sport
  22. field — farmland
  23. press — a publisher
  24. saw — the tool

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