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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: chair · wind · bat · object · pitch · deal · stock · rule

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. pitch — completely
  3. wind — moving air
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. object — a thing
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. object — to protest
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. stock — shares
  10. wind — moving air
  11. chair — a leader
  12. stock — goods
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. rule — a law
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. bat — the animal
  20. object — an aim
  21. rule — government
  22. deal — to handle
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. rule — to rule out

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