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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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. stem — a stem cell
  4. clip — to cut
  5. stock — shares
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. fall — to drop
  8. fall — the season
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. clip — a video
  11. last — final
  12. stem — to come from
  13. clip — for paper
  14. squash — to crush
  15. fall — to drop
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. last — to go on
  18. squash — the sport
  19. stock — goods
  20. last — finally
  21. sharp — clever
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. squash — the vegetable

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