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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: racket · stock · pitch · lie · ground · roll · wave · tear

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. roll — a list
  4. ground — the earth
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. lie — to recline
  7. tear — to rip
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. ground — crushed
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. stock — shares
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. tear — from crying
  20. ground — a position
  21. tear — from crying
  22. roll — a cake
  23. pitch — completely
  24. stock — goods

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