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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · face · pitcher · press · kid · stock · pit · roll

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. kid — child
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. stock — shares
  10. pit — a hole
  11. roll — a cake
  12. press — to push
  13. pit — in a race
  14. face — part of the head
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. kid — to tease
  18. press — newspapers
  19. pitch — completely
  20. roll — a list
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. face — to confront
  23. press — a publisher
  24. face — to point toward

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