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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 116 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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. file — a document
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. object — an aim
  10. file — a tool
  11. row — to paddle
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. row — a line
  14. stock — goods
  15. object — a thing
  16. pop — music
  17. pitch — completely
  18. wake — a trail
  19. file — a line of people
  20. stock — shares
  21. object — to protest
  22. cold — not warm
  23. cold — an illness
  24. pop — to visit

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