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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. fall — the season
  4. pass — a permit
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. pitch — completely
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. pit — a hole
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. deal — to handle
  12. stock — shares
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. pit — in a race
  15. fall — to drop
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. fall — to drop
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. season — of the year
  22. season — in sport
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. stock — goods

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