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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. row — a line
  3. can — to be able to
  4. scale — size or range
  5. club — for golf
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. club — for dancing
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. drill — a practice
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. club — a group
  13. can — a tin
  14. drill — army training
  15. mine — for digging
  16. drill — the tool
  17. row — to paddle
  18. pitch — completely
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. stock — goods
  21. can — a tin
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. stock — shares
  24. scale — in music

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