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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. spell — letters
  5. stock — goods
  6. spell — magic
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. face — to point toward
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. spell — a short time
  13. shower — to wash
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. stand — to bear
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. stock — shares
  19. face — part of the head
  20. face — to confront
  21. shower — rain
  22. bat — the animal
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. stand — for spectators

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