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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. stand — to bear
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. season — in sport
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. bear — the animal
  13. snap — to click
  14. stock — shares
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. foot — a measure
  17. season — of the year
  18. pitch — completely
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. bear — the animal
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. stock — goods
  23. saw — the tool
  24. foot — part of the body

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