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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 116 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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. capital — money
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. wake — a trail
  5. stock — goods
  6. land — ground
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. stock — shares
  12. rush — hurry
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. capital — a city
  18. land — a country
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. dip — to sink
  21. land — to come down
  22. pitch — completely
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. dip — to dunk

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