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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. track — a path
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. track — to keep track
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. suit — clothes
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. track — a song
  11. fall — to drop
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. suit — in cards
  14. fall — to drop
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. stock — goods
  18. fall — the season
  19. stock — shares
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. foot — a measure
  22. lean — thin
  23. sharp — clever
  24. suit — to fit

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