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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: mate · scale · sharp · leaves · cabinet · hand · stock · squash

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. stock — shares
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. mate — a partner
  7. scale — in music
  8. mate — to breed
  9. mate — a friend
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. squash — to crush
  12. stock — goods
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. hand — in cards
  18. sharp — clever
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. hand — help
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. squash — the sport
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. leaves — lets stay

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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