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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. staff — employees
  3. cold — not warm
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. cold — an illness
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. staff — employees
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. staff — a stick
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. bass — the fish
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. stock — goods
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. bass — low music
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. stock — shares
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. pitch — completely
  24. bowl — a dish

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