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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.

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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: dip · plane · stock · face · rush · pitch · content · racket

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. rush — hurry
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. stock — goods
  9. face — to point toward
  10. plane — a tool
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. content — happy
  13. face — part of the head
  14. stock — shares
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. content — the amount
  18. pitch — completely
  19. face — to confront
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. dip — to sink
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. rush — a thrill

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