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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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. hand — part of the body
  4. hand — in cards
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. cell — a phone
  8. stock — shares
  9. swing — in golf
  10. swing — music
  11. club — a group
  12. cell — in biology
  13. swing — to play on
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. face — to point toward
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. stock — goods
  19. face — to confront
  20. pitch — completely
  21. face — part of the head
  22. hand — help
  23. club — for dancing
  24. club — for golf

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