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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 who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. spell — magic
  4. sharp — clever
  5. lean — thin
  6. spell — a short time
  7. stock — shares
  8. spell — letters
  9. lean — to bend
  10. tube — the underground
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. fall — the season
  13. stock — goods
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. file — a document
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. tube — a container
  21. file — a tool
  22. fall — to drop
  23. file — a line of people
  24. stock — a soup base

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