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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. drill — a practice
  3. file — a tool
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. file — a line of people
  6. dip — to sink
  7. file — a document
  8. net — after costs
  9. stock — shares
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. ball — a dance
  12. pitch — completely
  13. ground — crushed
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. drill — the tool
  17. ground — the earth
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. net — in sport
  21. ground — a position
  22. ball — a great time
  23. drill — army training
  24. net — for catching

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