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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. file — a line of people
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. prune — to trim
  6. tear — from crying
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. file — a document
  9. pit — a hole
  10. rush — hurry
  11. tear — to rip
  12. sharp — clever
  13. tear — from crying
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. stock — goods
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. prune — to trim
  20. file — a tool
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. pit — in a race
  23. stock — shares
  24. stock — a soup base

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