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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. wind — moving air
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. pitch — completely
  12. season — in sport
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. stock — goods
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. season — of the year
  23. stock — shares
  24. bowl — a football final

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