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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 116 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 ________________ market has crashed.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. object — a thing
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. pitch — completely
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. object — an aim
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. cell — a phone
  12. season — in sport
  13. bass — the fish
  14. stock — goods
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. bass — low music
  17. season — of the year
  18. lean — to bend
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. object — to protest
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. lean — thin
  23. cell — in biology
  24. cell — in a prison

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