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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. stock — shares
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. key — for a lock
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. pitch — completely
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. file — a tool
  11. season — in sport
  12. face — part of the head
  13. key — the most important part
  14. stock — goods
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. face — to point toward
  17. file — a document
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. face — to confront
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. key — in music
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. file — a line of people
  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