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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. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. stock — shares
  3. land — to come down
  4. rash — a series
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. rash — hasty
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. sharp — clever
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. stem — to come from
  19. land — ground
  20. stock — goods
  21. land — a country
  22. pitch — completely
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. stem — of a plant

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