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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. bass — the fish
  6. spring — the season
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. mark — a grade
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. bass — low music
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. spring — a coil
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. stock — shares
  18. stock — goods
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. spring — of water
  22. mark — a trace
  23. branch — a division
  24. mouse — the animal

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