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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 124 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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. stock — shares
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. last — to go on
  5. field — for sport
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. stock — goods
  8. last — final
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. field — farmland
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. field — a subject
  16. last — finally
  17. bear — the animal
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. bear — the animal
  22. rush — hurry
  23. pitch — completely
  24. fan — a supporter

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