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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 strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. wind — moving air
  3. capital — money
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. mug — a face
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. wind — moving air
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. row — to paddle
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. stock — goods
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. mug — a cup
  18. row — a line
  19. mug — to rob
  20. capital — a city
  21. wake — a trail
  22. stock — shares
  23. pitch — completely
  24. capital — a big letter

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