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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 120 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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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: cabinet · row · mate · sharp · snap · temple · bowl · stand

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. sharp — clever
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. stand — to bear
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. mate — to breed
  18. snap — to click
  19. row — to paddle
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. mate — a friend
  23. row — a line
  24. mate — a partner

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