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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: cold · ground · staff · stock · lie · roll · dip · mouse

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. ground — a position
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. cold — an illness
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. roll — a cake
  7. ground — crushed
  8. stock — shares
  9. roll — a list
  10. staff — employees
  11. ground — the earth
  12. cold — not warm
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. dip — to sink
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. lie — to recline
  18. staff — employees
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. stock — goods
  24. mouse — the animal

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