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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
468
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: sharp · stand · fan · cell · stock · temple · degree · foot

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. degree — from a university
  10. stock — shares
  11. cell — a phone
  12. stand — to bear
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. sharp — clever
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. stock — goods
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. foot — a measure
  19. degree — an amount
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. degree — temperature
  23. cell — in biology
  24. fan — a supporter

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