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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: scale · cabinet · file · temple · stock · sharp · wave · hide

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. stock — goods
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. stock — shares
  8. scale — in music
  9. file — a line of people
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. scale — size or range
  13. file — a tool
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. sharp — clever
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. file — a document
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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