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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 ________________ market has crashed.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. lie — to recline
  3. sharp — clever
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. fall — to drop
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. squash — the sport
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. fall — the season
  18. dip — to sink
  19. stock — goods
  20. squash — to crush
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. fall — to drop
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. lie — an untruth

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