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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: season · spring · pitch · chair · track · stock · vault · cue

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. season — in sport
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. stock — goods
  6. chair — a leader
  7. cue — a hint
  8. spring — of water
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. track — to keep track
  11. track — a path
  12. pitch — completely
  13. spring — the season
  14. spring — a coil
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. track — a song
  17. cue — a signal
  18. season — of the year
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. cue — for pool
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. vault — a safe
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. season — to add flavour

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