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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.

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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: ground · bowl · pitch · track · jam · stock · toast · spring

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. ground — a position
  3. track — to keep track
  4. spring — of water
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. stock — goods
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. stock — shares
  9. pitch — completely
  10. toast — bread
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. spring — a coil
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. track — a path
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. spring — the season
  18. ground — crushed
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. track — a song
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. ground — the earth

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