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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 ________________ market has crashed.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. sharp — clever
  4. chair — a leader
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. pitch — completely
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. stock — goods
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. straw — to clutch at straws

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