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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: file · date · ground · stock · pitch · craft · clip · cap

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. stock — shares
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. file — a line of people
  6. file — a tool
  7. date — the fruit
  8. pitch — completely
  9. file — a document
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. clip — to cut
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. cap — of ice
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. ground — the earth
  16. clip — a video
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. craft — a skill
  19. stock — goods
  20. cap — a hat
  21. clip — for paper
  22. ground — a position
  23. ground — crushed
  24. craft — boats

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