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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. sharp — clever
  6. stock — goods
  7. row — to paddle
  8. row — a line
  9. cue — a hint
  10. cue — a signal
  11. cue — for pool
  12. bear — the animal
  13. firm — a company
  14. field — farmland
  15. saw — the tool
  16. field — a subject
  17. firm — decided
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. saw — the tool
  21. field — for sport
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. bear — the animal
  24. firm — steady

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