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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. staff — a stick
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. deal — to handle
  8. band — a music group
  9. stock — goods
  10. staff — employees
  11. staff — employees
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. season — in sport
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. pitch — completely
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. stock — shares
  20. season — of the year
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. racket — a loud noise

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