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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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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: toast · cell · wind · spring · stock · mark · pitch · deal

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. spring — the season
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. spring — a coil
  6. toast — bread
  7. pitch — completely
  8. cell — in biology
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. mark — a trace
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. deal — to handle
  16. spring — of water
  17. cell — a phone
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. wind — moving air
  21. stock — shares
  22. wind — moving air
  23. mark — a grade
  24. mark — to pay attention

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