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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. sharp — clever
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. prune — to trim
  9. stock — shares
  10. pitch — completely
  11. cold — an illness
  12. cold — not warm
  13. prune — to trim
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. stand — to bear
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. stock — goods
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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