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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 116 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: suit · rash · stem · pitch · pitcher · stock · face · rush

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. face — part of the head
  5. rash — hasty
  6. suit — in cards
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. face — to confront
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. stock — goods
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. suit — to fit
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. stock — shares
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. stem — to come from
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. suit — clothes
  22. face — to point toward
  23. rash — a series
  24. pitch — completely

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