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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 116 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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. stock — goods
  5. stock — shares
  6. rule — a law
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. mark — a trace
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. pitch — completely
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. rule — government
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. mark — a grade

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