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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. scale — in music
  5. dip — to sink
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. file — a document
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. chair — a leader
  10. scale — size or range
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. stock — goods
  13. stock — shares
  14. net — after costs
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. net — for catching
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. pitch — completely
  19. file — a line of people
  20. file — a tool
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. net — in sport

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