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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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. scale — size or range
  3. kid — child
  4. pitch — completely
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. stock — shares
  7. scale — in music
  8. branch — a division
  9. ground — a position
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. kid — to tease
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. ground — the earth
  14. stock — goods
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. wound — an injury
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. wound — an injury
  22. ground — crushed
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. racket — for tennis

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