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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 strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. stock — goods
  5. wind — moving air
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. scale — size or range
  11. season — of the year
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. plane — a tool
  14. kick — in football
  15. stock — shares
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. wake — a trail
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. sharp — clever
  22. season — in sport
  23. scale — in music
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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