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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: court · pitch · rash · cap · stock · current · cell · pit

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. pit — a hole
  3. stock — goods
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. court — of a king
  6. current — of water
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. pit — in a race
  10. pitch — completely
  11. rash — a series
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. cap — a lid
  14. current — happening now
  15. cap — of ice
  16. cell — in biology
  17. cap — a hat
  18. court — for sport
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. cell — a phone
  22. court — of law
  23. stock — shares
  24. current — electric

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