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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. row — to paddle
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. stock — goods
  6. fall — to drop
  7. fall — to drop
  8. fall — the season
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. staff — employees
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. season — of the year
  14. stock — shares
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. staff — employees
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. vault — a safe
  19. row — a line
  20. staff — a stick
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. season — in sport

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