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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 116 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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. prune — to trim
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. stock — goods
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. bear — the animal
  9. bear — the animal
  10. can — a tin
  11. can — to be able to
  12. can — a tin
  13. stock — shares
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. kick — in football
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. prune — to trim
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. sharp — clever
  22. capital — money
  23. capital — a city
  24. sharp — with an edge

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