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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.

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: sharp · ground · chair · bear · stock · capital · plane · pitcher

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. bear — the animal
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. chair — a leader
  8. capital — money
  9. capital — a city
  10. sharp — clever
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. stock — goods
  14. ground — a position
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. plane — a tool
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. ground — the earth
  20. ground — crushed
  21. stock — shares
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. bear — the animal
  24. sharp — with an edge

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