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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: face · craft · fine · sharp · stem · staff · stock · pitch

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. face — part of the head
  3. stem — to come from
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. craft — boats
  6. face — to confront
  7. fine — high quality
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. craft — a skill
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. face — to point toward
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. pitch — completely
  17. sharp — clever
  18. staff — a stick
  19. staff — employees
  20. stock — shares
  21. staff — employees
  22. stock — goods
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. pitch — a sports field

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