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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. wound — an injury
  3. wind — moving air
  4. stock — goods
  5. wind — moving air
  6. suit — to fit
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. wound — an injury
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. stock — shares
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. suit — in cards
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. suit — clothes
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. fork — in a road
  23. hand — help
  24. hand — in cards

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