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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: foot · rush · sharp · lash · mine · land · stock · rash

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. stock — shares
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. land — to come down
  6. foot — a measure
  7. land — ground
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. land — a country
  12. stock — goods
  13. rush — hurry
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. rash — hasty
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. mine — for digging
  18. rash — a series
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. sharp — clever

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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