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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. stock — shares
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. staff — a stick
  8. swing — in golf
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. stock — goods
  11. swing — to play on
  12. staff — employees
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. staff — employees
  15. pitch — completely
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. wax — to grow
  18. game — wild animals
  19. fork — in a road
  20. swing — music
  21. lie — to recline
  22. game — a match
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. game — a kind of play

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