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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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 — a soup base
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. staff — employees
  6. stock — shares
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. staff — employees
  10. clip — a video
  11. chest — a box
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. wax — to grow
  14. stock — goods
  15. lie — to recline
  16. sharp — clever
  17. chest — of your body
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. clip — to cut
  22. staff — a stick
  23. clip — for paper
  24. chest — of your body

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