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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: date · last · sharp · stock · season · mouse · straw · vault

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. last — final
  4. date — the fruit
  5. stock — shares
  6. season — in sport
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. season — of the year
  9. stock — goods
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. last — finally
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. last — to go on
  22. vault — a safe
  23. sharp — clever
  24. mouse — the animal

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