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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: wind · sharp · staff · key · cell · stand · stock · land

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. staff — employees
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. cell — a phone
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. key — for a lock
  9. land — ground
  10. staff — a stick
  11. cell — in biology
  12. staff — employees
  13. sharp — clever
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. wind — moving air
  16. key — the most important part
  17. stock — shares
  18. land — a country
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. land — to come down
  21. wind — moving air
  22. stock — goods
  23. key — in music
  24. sharp — with an edge

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