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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.

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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: stick · rock · stock · ground · cell · hand · mouse · sharp

  1. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. cell — a phone
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. stock — goods
  7. ground — crushed
  8. cell — in biology
  9. ground — the earth
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. hand — in cards
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. ground — a position
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. sharp — clever
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. stock — shares
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. hand — help
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. rock — music
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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