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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: stock · fall · roll · calf · board · cold · sharp · key

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. board — to get on
  3. fall — to drop
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. key — in music
  7. key — for a lock
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. cold — not warm
  10. fall — to drop
  11. stock — goods
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. board — a committee
  14. roll — a cake
  15. key — the most important part
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. fall — the season
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. sharp — clever
  21. roll — a list
  22. stock — shares
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. cold — the Cold War

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