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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: date · file · mouse · stock · mark · content · pitch · foot

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. mark — a trace
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. content — happy
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. mark — a grade
  10. pitch — completely
  11. file — a line of people
  12. stock — shares
  13. file — a document
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. stock — goods
  16. date — the fruit
  17. foot — a measure
  18. file — a tool
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. content — the amount
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. content — videos and posts

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