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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: last · shower · pitch · rush · ground · game · ball · stock

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. ground — the earth
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. game — a match
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. ground — crushed
  10. shower — rain
  11. last — to go on
  12. last — finally
  13. game — wild animals
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. stock — shares
  16. pitch — completely
  17. rush — hurry
  18. last — final
  19. shower — to wash
  20. ball — a great time
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. stock — goods
  23. ball — a dance
  24. ground — a position

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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