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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. season — of the year
  8. stand — to bear
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. kick — in football
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. cell — in biology
  16. stock — shares
  17. sharp — clever
  18. season — in sport
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. capital — money
  21. stock — goods
  22. capital — a city
  23. cell — a phone
  24. fan — a supporter

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