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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. bank — for money
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. stock — shares
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. fall — to drop
  10. saw — the tool
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. fall — to drop
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. stock — goods
  15. bank — for money
  16. ground — a position
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. sharp — clever
  19. ground — the earth
  20. bank — of a river
  21. foot — a measure
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. saw — the tool
  24. ground — crushed

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