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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · clip · chair · stick · sharp · cap · pitch · wound

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  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. sharp — exactly
  2. clip — to cut
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. cap — a hat
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. wound — an injury
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. pitch — completely
  13. cap — of ice
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. chair — a leader
  16. clip — for paper
  17. wound — an injury
  18. stock — shares
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. cap — a lid
  21. sharp — clever
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. clip — a video
  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