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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 116 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: stock · dip · calf · lie · pitcher · land · sharp · press

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. press — a publisher
  4. press — to push
  5. stock — goods
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. stock — shares
  8. land — ground
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. dip — to sink
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. press — newspapers
  22. land — a country
  23. lie — to recline
  24. land — to come down

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