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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. lie — to recline
  4. stock — shares
  5. last — final
  6. wind — moving air
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. sharp — clever
  9. last — finally
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. wind — moving air
  12. chair — a leader
  13. saw — the tool
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. last — to go on
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. saw — the tool
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. chair — a professorship

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