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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 116 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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. fall — the season
  4. wax — to grow
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. suit — clothes
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. spell — a short time
  9. capital — money
  10. fall — to drop
  11. spell — letters
  12. sharp — clever
  13. suit — to fit
  14. capital — a city
  15. stock — shares
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. spell — magic
  18. suit — in cards
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. fall — to drop
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. stock — goods

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