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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · object · stock · squash · field · clip · stick · tube

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. clip — for paper
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. tube — a container
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. pitch — completely
  8. stock — goods
  9. object — to protest
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. clip — a video
  12. clip — to cut
  13. stock — shares
  14. object — a thing
  15. field — a subject
  16. field — for sport
  17. tube — the underground
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. field — farmland
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. squash — the sport
  23. squash — to crush
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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