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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 116 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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. stock — shares
  4. pitch — completely
  5. capital — a city
  6. stock — goods
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. hand — help
  14. saw — the tool
  15. saw — the tool
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. capital — money
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. hand — in cards
  24. hand — part of the body

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