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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. chip — for betting
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. stem — to come from
  7. drill — a practice
  8. pop — music
  9. pop — to visit
  10. sharp — clever
  11. stock — shares
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. drill — army training
  14. pop — soda
  15. fork — in a road
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. drill — the tool
  22. chip — to eat
  23. stock — goods
  24. sharp — with an edge

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