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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 kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. bank — for money
  5. scale — in music
  6. swing — to play on
  7. stock — shares
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. swing — in golf
  10. last — finally
  11. last — to go on
  12. row — a line
  13. pitch — completely
  14. tear — to rip
  15. tear — from crying
  16. row — to paddle
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. last — final
  19. tear — from crying
  20. stock — goods
  21. scale — size or range
  22. swing — music
  23. bank — of a river
  24. bank — for money

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