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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. track — to keep track
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. track — a path
  5. pit — a hole
  6. object — a thing
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. perch — the fish
  10. stock — shares
  11. squash — the sport
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. track — a song
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. object — to protest
  17. squash — to crush
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. sharp — clever
  20. object — an aim
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. stock — goods
  23. pitch — completely
  24. pit — in a race

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