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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 120 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: stock · suit · content · sharp · chest · fall · fan · net

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. content — the amount
  4. stock — goods
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. content — happy
  8. net — for catching
  9. suit — in cards
  10. fall — to drop
  11. chest — of your body
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. suit — clothes
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. chest — a box
  16. suit — to fit
  17. net — after costs
  18. stock — shares
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. fall — the season
  21. net — in sport
  22. fall — to drop
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. chest — of your body

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