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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: lean · perch · march · leaves · season · stock · sharp · toast

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. march — the month
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. lean — to bend
  11. stock — shares
  12. toast — bread
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. season — of the year
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. perch — the fish
  17. season — in sport
  18. lean — thin
  19. march — music
  20. march — the month
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. sharp — clever

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