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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. stock — shares
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. face — to confront
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. kid — child
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. stock — goods
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. face — part of the head
  14. kid — to tease
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. rush — hurry
  17. face — to point toward
  18. pitch — completely

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