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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: mark · roll · racket · last · bulb · fan · stock · pitch

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. roll — a list
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. mark — a grade
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. mark — a trace
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. last — to go on
  13. roll — a cake
  14. stock — goods
  15. bulb — for light
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. last — finally
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. stock — shares
  21. pitch — completely
  22. last — final
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. bulb — for light

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