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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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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: sharp · roll · stand · ground · fan · cold · staff · stick

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. cold — an illness
  4. staff — employees
  5. staff — a stick
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. ground — crushed
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. roll — a cake
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. cold — not warm
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. roll — a list
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. staff — employees
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. ground — a position
  19. sharp — clever
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. stand — to bear
  24. fan — a supporter

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