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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: tear · sharp · dip · fall · pitcher · cabinet · suit · stick

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  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. sharp — clever
  2. suit — to fit
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. dip — to sink
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. fall — to drop
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. tear — from crying
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. fall — to drop
  14. suit — clothes
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. fall — the season
  19. tear — to rip
  20. suit — in cards
  21. tear — from crying
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. cabinet — ministers
  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