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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. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. pitch — completely
  3. cue — a signal
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. cue — a hint
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. stock — goods
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. stock — shares
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. branch — a division
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. chip — to eat
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. chip — for betting
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. sharp — clever
  21. foot — a measure
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. cue — for pool

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