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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: bay · band · pitch · game · rush · stock · swing · fork

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. band — a ring
  5. swing — music
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. game — a match
  8. stock — goods
  9. game — wild animals
  10. band — a music group
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. stock — shares
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. pitch — completely
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. fork — in a road
  20. rush — hurry
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. swing — to play on
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. swing — in golf

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