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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. fall — the season
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. plane — a tool
  5. band — a music group
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. fall — to drop
  9. sharp — clever
  10. band — a ring
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. squash — the sport
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. squash — to crush
  16. stock — shares
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. fall — to drop
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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