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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: drill · pitch · present · stock · game · firm · cue · bowl

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. firm — steady
  4. firm — a company
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. present — the time now
  9. cue — a signal
  10. present — there
  11. stock — shares
  12. drill — a practice
  13. firm — decided
  14. drill — the tool
  15. pitch — completely
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. game — wild animals
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. cue — for pool
  21. cue — a hint
  22. drill — army training
  23. game — a match
  24. stock — goods

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