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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. stock — goods
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. fall — the season
  5. stock — shares
  6. fall — to drop
  7. bank — for money
  8. pop — music
  9. root — of a plant
  10. bank — of a river
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. hand — in cards
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. sharp — clever
  15. root — the cause
  16. root — of a word
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. hand — help
  19. pop — soda
  20. snap — to click
  21. bank — for money
  22. fall — to drop
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. pop — to visit

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