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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. mark — a grade
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. spring — the season
  7. mark — a trace
  8. drill — the tool
  9. spring — of water
  10. stock — goods
  11. pitch — completely
  12. pop — soda
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. pop — to visit
  16. stock — shares
  17. drill — army training
  18. spring — a coil
  19. staff — employees
  20. staff — employees
  21. staff — a stick
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. pop — music
  24. drill — a practice

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