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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 preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. cap — of ice
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. cap — a hat
  5. stock — shares
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. tube — a container
  8. stock — goods
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. tube — the underground
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. field — farmland
  13. field — for sport
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. land — a country
  16. pitch — completely
  17. cap — a lid
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. land — to come down
  21. land — ground
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. field — a subject
  24. tube — in a tire

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