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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: cold · pitcher · sharp · net · mark · suit · lean · stock

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. suit — to fit
  3. mark — a grade
  4. cold — an illness
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. stock — goods
  8. lean — to bend
  9. mark — a trace
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. sharp — clever
  14. cold — not warm
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. suit — clothes
  17. stock — shares
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. lean — thin
  20. net — for catching
  21. net — in sport
  22. suit — in cards
  23. net — after costs
  24. stock — a soup base

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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