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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. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. game — a match
  4. stock — goods
  5. track — a song
  6. press — a publisher
  7. track — a path
  8. land — ground
  9. shower — to wash
  10. press — to push
  11. press — newspapers
  12. stock — shares
  13. land — a country
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. game — wild animals
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. land — to come down
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. track — to keep track
  20. shower — rain
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. pitch — completely

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