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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 room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. staff — a stick
  3. wound — an injury
  4. stock — shares
  5. staff — employees
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. degree — an amount
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. dip — to sink
  11. wound — an injury
  12. rock — a stone
  13. degree — temperature
  14. degree — from a university
  15. staff — employees
  16. swing — to play on
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. swing — in golf
  19. rock — music
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. swing — music
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. stock — goods
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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