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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. pitch — completely
  3. fall — to drop
  4. mine — for digging
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. ball — a dance
  8. fall — to drop
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. ball — a great time
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. craft — boats
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. stock — goods
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. game — a match
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. fall — the season
  20. game — wild animals
  21. stock — shares
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. craft — a skill
  24. wave — with your hand

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