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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. spring — a coil
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. spring — of water
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. bound — certain
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. bound — obliged
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. stock — shares
  12. present — the time now
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. sharp — clever
  15. rash — a series
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. bound — tied together
  18. ground — crushed
  19. present — there
  20. spring — the season
  21. ground — a position
  22. ground — the earth
  23. stock — goods
  24. present — a gift

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