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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: rest · rule · pitch · branch · stock · straw · sharp · object

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. rest — what's left
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. stock — goods
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. stock — shares
  11. object — to protest
  12. rule — a law
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. pitch — completely
  15. branch — a division
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. object — an aim
  18. rule — government
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. object — a thing
  23. rest — a break
  24. rest — what's left

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