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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. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. stock — shares
  3. rush — hurry
  4. rock — music
  5. rock — a stone
  6. shower — rain
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. shower — to wash
  12. stock — goods
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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