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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 120 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: pitcher · bore · bulb · fan · sharp · stock · game · scale

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. stock — goods
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. stock — shares
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. scale — in music
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bore — to drill
  15. scale — size or range
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. game — wild animals
  22. sharp — clever
  23. bore — to tire
  24. game — a match

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