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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 124 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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. foot — a measure
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. stock — goods
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. lie — to recline
  11. stock — shares
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. perch — the fish
  15. bank — of a river
  16. sharp — clever
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. bank — for money
  19. wake — a trail
  20. bank — for money
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. cabinet — ministers

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