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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. rash — hasty
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. pitch — completely
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. capital — money
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. stock — shares
  14. capital — a city
  15. clip — to cut
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. clip — for paper
  18. pound — a weight
  19. stock — goods
  20. clip — a video
  21. kick — in football
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. rash — a series

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