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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: rest · wake · spell · drill · march · lie · stock · sharp

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. stock — goods
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. drill — a practice
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. drill — army training
  9. march — the month
  10. spell — a short time
  11. wake — a trail
  12. sharp — clever
  13. stock — shares
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. drill — the tool
  17. spell — magic
  18. spell — letters
  19. rest — a break
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. march — music
  22. lie — to recline
  23. rest — what's left
  24. march — the month

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