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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. stand — to bear
  5. root — the cause
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. bound — tied together
  9. hand — help
  10. stock — goods
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. sharp — clever
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. stock — shares
  18. bound — obliged
  19. root — of a word
  20. bound — certain
  21. hand — in cards
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. root — of a plant
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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