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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. charge — in control
  4. net — in sport
  5. net — for catching
  6. game — a match
  7. game — wild animals
  8. charge — a price
  9. season — in sport
  10. rush — hurry
  11. season — of the year
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. stock — shares
  14. charge — electricity
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. pound — a weight
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. pitch — completely
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. net — after costs
  21. stock — goods
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. pound — for dogs

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