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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 120 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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. 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. club — for dancing
  2. suit — in cards
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. file — a document
  5. stock — shares
  6. staff — employees
  7. club — a group
  8. file — a tool
  9. land — to come down
  10. pit — a hole
  11. suit — to fit
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. staff — employees
  14. pit — in a race
  15. suit — clothes
  16. stock — goods
  17. land — a country
  18. file — a line of people
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. land — ground
  21. club — for golf
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. staff — a stick
  24. 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