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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. tear — from crying
  5. pitch — completely
  6. stock — goods
  7. mark — a trace
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. stock — shares
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. mark — a grade
  14. pit — a hole
  15. capital — money
  16. game — wild animals
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. capital — a city
  19. tear — to rip
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. game — a match
  22. tear — from crying
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. pit — in a race

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