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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. capital — money
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. stock — shares
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. staff — employees
  9. pit — in a race
  10. staff — employees
  11. stock — goods
  12. staff — a stick
  13. capital — a city
  14. tear — to rip
  15. pit — a hole
  16. tear — from crying
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. tear — from crying
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. sharp — clever
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. nail — for a hammer

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