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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: kick · pass · cold · root · rock · stock · row · lie

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. root — of a word
  3. stock — goods
  4. row — a line
  5. pass — a permit
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. lie — to recline
  11. row — to paddle
  12. stock — shares
  13. cold — an illness
  14. root — the cause
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. root — of a plant
  17. cold — not warm
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. kick — in football
  21. rock — music
  22. rock — a stone
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. kick — a thrill

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