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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 players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. game — wild animals
  4. squash — to crush
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. perch — the fish
  7. fall — the season
  8. kid — child
  9. fall — to drop
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. fall — to drop
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. pitch — completely
  15. game — a match
  16. stock — shares
  17. kid — to tease
  18. squash — the sport
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. stock — goods
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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