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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 116 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 · content · wave · stock · spell · drill · file · lean

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. drill — a practice
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. file — a document
  5. content — happy
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. spell — letters
  10. stock — goods
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. pitch — completely
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. drill — the tool
  15. lean — to bend
  16. content — the amount
  17. lean — thin
  18. file — a line of people
  19. drill — army training
  20. file — a tool
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. spell — a short time
  24. spell — magic

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