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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: saw · pitch · roll · ball · sharp · stock · object · court

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. roll — a list
  4. roll — a cake
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. stock — goods
  7. ball — a great time
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. object — a thing
  11. court — for sport
  12. object — to protest
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. ball — a dance
  15. court — of a king
  16. saw — the tool
  17. court — of law
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. saw — the tool
  22. object — an aim
  23. sharp — clever
  24. stock — shares

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