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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 116 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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. bark — to shout
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. stock — goods
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. staff — a stick
  7. staff — employees
  8. stock — shares
  9. sharp — clever
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. stand — to bear
  12. game — wild animals
  13. staff — employees
  14. stem — to come from
  15. last — finally
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. game — a match
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. last — to go on
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. last — final
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. bark — of a tree

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