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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. dip — to sink
  4. file — a tool
  5. file — a line of people
  6. rest — what's left
  7. pitch — completely
  8. rest — what's left
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. scale — in music
  11. rest — a break
  12. stock — shares
  13. cold — not warm
  14. scale — size or range
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. pit — a hole
  17. stock — goods
  18. cold — an illness
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. file — a document
  24. dip — a sauce

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