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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. rash — a series
  3. face — part of the head
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. stock — goods
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. row — a line
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. row — to paddle
  12. season — of the year
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. face — to point toward
  15. ball — a great time
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. season — in sport
  20. stock — shares
  21. ball — a dance
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. face — to confront
  24. rash — hasty

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