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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  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. hand — help
  2. pitch — completely
  3. rock — a stone
  4. can — to be able to
  5. hand — in cards
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. rock — music
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. stock — shares
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. can — a tin
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. chair — a leader
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. can — a tin
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. stock — goods

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