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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cabinet · wound · stock · foot · sharp · season · chip · bowl

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. foot — a measure
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. chip — for betting
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. stock — goods
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. season — of the year
  12. stock — shares
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. sharp — clever
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. wound — an injury
  21. chip — to eat
  22. season — in sport
  23. wound — an injury
  24. chip — in a computer

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