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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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. stock — goods
  9. rush — hurry
  10. cap — a hat
  11. fork — in a road
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. dip — to sink
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. kid — child
  16. kid — to tease
  17. cap — of ice
  18. pitch — completely
  19. stock — shares
  20. cap — a lid
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. wax — to grow
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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