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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 124 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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. face — part of the head
  6. lean — thin
  7. stock — goods
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. hand — help
  10. face — to point toward
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. hand — in cards
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. sharp — clever
  17. craft — boats
  18. craft — a skill
  19. lean — to bend
  20. stock — shares
  21. face — to confront
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. craft — a handicraft

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