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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 120 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: wound · sharp · stock · fine · land · pitch · pass · wake

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. stock — shares
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. wake — a trail
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. land — ground
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. fine — high quality
  10. fine — all right
  11. sharp — clever
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. stock — goods
  16. pass — a permit
  17. land — a country
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. wound — an injury
  20. wound — an injury
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. pitch — completely
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. land — to come down

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