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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. scale — in music
  3. scale — size or range
  4. rock — a stone
  5. cold — an illness
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. sharp — clever
  11. stock — shares
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. wound — an injury
  16. stock — goods
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. cold — not warm
  21. rock — music
  22. wound — an injury
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. arm — part of the body

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