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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: club · can · bowl · pitch · stock · season · mate · wake

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. club — a group
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. can — to be able to
  7. wake — a trail
  8. mate — a partner
  9. stock — goods
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. can — a tin
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. mate — to breed
  15. club — for dancing
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. stock — shares
  18. season — in sport
  19. season — of the year
  20. can — a tin
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. club — for golf
  23. mate — a friend
  24. pitch — completely

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