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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. pitch — completely
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. tube — the underground
  5. stock — goods
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. board — to get on
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. board — a committee
  14. stock — shares
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. mark — a trace
  17. mark — a grade
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. tube — a container
  22. snap — to click
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. deal — to handle

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