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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 kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. charge — electricity
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. stock — shares
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. ball — a great time
  10. wound — an injury
  11. lean — thin
  12. stock — goods
  13. lean — to bend
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. charge — a price
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. wound — an injury
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. charge — in control
  20. ball — a dance
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. pitch — completely
  23. plane — a tool
  24. plane — an aircraft

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