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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.

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: spell · fan · sharp · stock · pitch · perch · racket · dip

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. stock — shares
  4. sharp — clever
  5. dip — to sink
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. spell — a short time
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. spell — letters
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. pitch — completely
  16. perch — the fish
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. spell — magic
  19. stock — goods
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. fan — a supporter

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