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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 ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. scale — in music
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. face — part of the head
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. pitch — completely
  9. last — to go on
  10. stock — goods
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. last — finally
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. face — to point toward
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. last — final
  19. scale — size or range
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. chip — to eat
  22. face — to confront
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. chip — for betting

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