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

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. scale — in music
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. firm — steady
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. stock — goods
  13. stem — to come from
  14. firm — a company
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. scale — size or range
  18. ground — the earth
  19. stock — shares
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. ground — a position
  23. firm — decided
  24. ground — crushed

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