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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 all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  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. cabinet — ministers
  2. saw — the tool
  3. present — there
  4. sharp — clever
  5. swing — in golf
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. present — a gift
  8. fall — to drop
  9. cap — of ice
  10. present — the time now
  11. saw — the tool
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. fall — to drop
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. stock — shares
  17. swing — to play on
  18. fall — the season
  19. cap — a hat
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. cap — a lid
  22. swing — music
  23. sharp — exactly
  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