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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. rash — a series
  4. pound — a weight
  5. rash — hasty
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. stock — shares
  8. wound — an injury
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. toast — bread
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. sharp — clever
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. wound — an injury
  20. stock — goods
  21. pitch — completely
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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