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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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. stock — goods
  5. spring — of water
  6. land — a country
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. spring — the season
  9. spring — a coil
  10. fork — in a road
  11. pass — a permit
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. land — to come down
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. stock — shares
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. lie — to recline
  22. pitch — completely
  23. chair — a leader
  24. land — ground

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