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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 124 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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. last — final
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. stock — shares
  6. bat — the animal
  7. last — finally
  8. lean — thin
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. craft — boats
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. craft — a skill
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. lean — to bend
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. last — to go on
  18. deal — to handle
  19. toast — bread
  20. stock — goods
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. pitch — completely
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. toast — the most admired

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