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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. stock — shares
  4. mark — a grade
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. ground — crushed
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. ground — a position
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. mark — a trace
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. perch — the fish
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. stock — goods
  17. ground — the earth
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. stem — to come from
  24. stem — a stem cell

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