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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. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. stock — goods
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. file — a line of people
  8. perch — the fish
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. ball — a great time
  11. ball — a dance
  12. stock — shares
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. file — a document
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. file — a tool
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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