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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 supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. rash — a series
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. rash — hasty
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. deal — to handle
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pitch — completely
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. stock — shares
  20. wax — to grow
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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