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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 room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. bear — the animal
  4. root — the cause
  5. root — of a word
  6. season — in sport
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. root — of a plant
  12. stock — shares
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. bear — the animal
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. spring — the season
  19. spring — of water
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. spring — a coil
  23. stock — goods
  24. season — of the year

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