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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. pitch — completely
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. mate — a friend
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. land — a country
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. mate — a partner
  11. dip — to sink
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. stock — shares
  15. land — ground
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. stock — goods
  18. capital — a city
  19. bulb — for light
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. land — to come down
  22. capital — money
  23. mate — to breed
  24. bulb — for light

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