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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: pitch · sharp · stock · cabinet · game · bound · coach · land

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. stock — goods
  5. land — ground
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. bound — certain
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. land — a country
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. land — to come down
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. bound — obliged
  16. sharp — clever
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. game — wild animals
  19. stock — shares
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. pitch — completely
  22. bound — tied together
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. game — a match

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