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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: stick · staff · face · stock · field · squash · ball · pass

  1. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. face — to point toward
  5. ball — a great time
  6. field — farmland
  7. stock — goods
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. squash — the sport
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. staff — employees
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. field — for sport
  14. staff — employees
  15. ball — a dance
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. face — part of the head
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. staff — a stick
  21. face — to confront
  22. squash — to crush
  23. stock — shares
  24. field — a subject

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