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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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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. lean — to bend
  4. key — the most important part
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. stem — to come from
  8. scale — size or range
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. stock — shares
  11. deal — to handle
  12. last — final
  13. stock — goods
  14. scale — in music
  15. key — in music
  16. key — for a lock
  17. last — finally
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. last — to go on
  22. lean — thin
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. lean — to rest against

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