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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 124 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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. suit — to fit
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. stock — goods
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. pitch — completely
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. prune — to trim
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. plane — a tool
  14. prune — to trim
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. branch — a division
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. suit — clothes
  20. squash — to crush
  21. squash — the sport
  22. stock — shares
  23. suit — in cards
  24. mine — for digging

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