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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 116 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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. spell — letters
  3. swing — to play on
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. stock — shares
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. swing — music
  9. fall — to drop
  10. fall — to drop
  11. pitch — completely
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. ball — a dance
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. stand — to bear
  17. stock — goods
  18. fall — the season
  19. spell — a short time
  20. swing — in golf
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. spell — magic
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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