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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 120 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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. mark — a grade
  3. stock — goods
  4. pitch — completely
  5. mark — a trace
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. drill — a practice
  8. saw — the tool
  9. foot — a measure
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. saw — the tool
  12. drill — the tool
  13. drill — army training
  14. mate — to breed
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. sharp — clever
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. mate — a friend
  19. stock — shares
  20. mate — a partner
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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