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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 ________________ market has crashed.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. dip — to sink
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. spring — the season
  6. pit — a hole
  7. band — a music group
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. bear — the animal
  10. pit — in a race
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. mine — for digging
  14. spring — a coil
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. spring — of water
  19. band — a ring
  20. bear — the animal
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. pitch — completely
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. stock — goods

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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