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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: stock · fine · pitcher · squash · pitch · jam · tube · mine

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. squash — the sport
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. fine — all right
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. tube — the underground
  14. tube — a container
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. fine — high quality
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. pitch — completely
  19. squash — to crush
  20. stock — goods
  21. mine — for digging
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. stock — shares
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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