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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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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: firm · pitch · tear · pit · row · stock · wound · press

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. firm — steady
  3. firm — a company
  4. firm — decided
  5. wound — an injury
  6. pit — a hole
  7. row — to paddle
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. tear — from crying
  10. row — a line
  11. stock — shares
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. stock — goods
  14. press — a publisher
  15. press — newspapers
  16. press — to push
  17. pitch — completely
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. tear — from crying
  21. wound — an injury
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. tear — to rip
  24. pit — in a race

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