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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. file — a tool
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. cap — a lid
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. stock — goods
  9. file — a line of people
  10. pitch — completely
  11. cap — a hat
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. net — in sport
  14. file — a document
  15. stock — shares
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. net — after costs
  22. net — for catching
  23. cap — of ice
  24. racket — a loud noise

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