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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. stock — shares
  7. pitch — completely
  8. rock — music
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. degree — an amount
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. saw — the tool
  15. race — a contest
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. sharp — clever
  18. degree — temperature
  19. race — humankind
  20. rock — a stone
  21. degree — from a university
  22. race — the arms race
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. stock — goods

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