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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 room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. stock — shares
  4. ground — the earth
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. pit — in a race
  7. rash — a series
  8. rash — hasty
  9. season — of the year
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. pit — a hole
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. stock — goods
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. season — in sport
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. ground — a position
  22. ground — crushed
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. racket — for tennis

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