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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: cell · staff · stock · sharp · rock · chest · ground · cue

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. cell — a phone
  5. staff — employees
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. rock — music
  9. ground — a position
  10. stock — shares
  11. rock — a stone
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. cell — in biology
  14. ground — the earth
  15. ground — crushed
  16. chest — a box
  17. cue — a signal
  18. sharp — clever
  19. cue — for pool
  20. chest — of your body
  21. staff — employees
  22. chest — of your body
  23. staff — a stick
  24. stock — goods

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