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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 116 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 players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. rash — a series
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. track — a song
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. staff — a stick
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. season — in sport
  11. season — of the year
  12. stock — shares
  13. staff — employees
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. rash — hasty
  16. staff — employees
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. mine — for digging
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. pitch — completely
  21. track — to keep track
  22. stock — goods
  23. track — a path
  24. rash — on the skin

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