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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: pitch · jam · bulb · stock · hand · spell · lie · mine

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. stock — goods
  4. hand — in cards
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. pitch — completely
  7. stock — shares
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. bulb — for light
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. mine — for digging
  16. hand — help
  17. spell — letters
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. spell — a short time
  20. spell — magic
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. bulb — for light
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. lie — to recline

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