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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: game · wake · tube · coach · ground · stock · pitch · cap

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. pitch — completely
  3. tube — a container
  4. ground — the earth
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. ground — a position
  8. wake — a trail
  9. ground — crushed
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. cap — of ice
  12. tube — the underground
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. game — wild animals
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. cap — a lid
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. game — a match
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. cap — a hat
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. stock — shares

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