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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. present — a gift
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. stock — goods
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. bank — for money
  9. bank — of a river
  10. stock — shares
  11. present — there
  12. sharp — clever
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. chair — a leader
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. mine — for digging
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. present — the time now
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. bank — for money

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