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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 124 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 ________________ market has crashed.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. lie — to recline
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. land — to come down
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. pitch — completely
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. stock — goods
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. sharp — clever
  22. land — a country
  23. land — ground
  24. stock — a soup base

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