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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 120 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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. stock — shares
  6. pitch — completely
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. present — a gift
  9. lean — to bend
  10. tear — from crying
  11. staff — a stick
  12. staff — employees
  13. tear — from crying
  14. present — the time now
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. staff — employees
  17. stock — goods
  18. spring — a coil
  19. spring — of water
  20. tear — to rip
  21. spring — the season
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. present — there
  24. lean — thin

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