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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.

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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: cap · fine · mate · stock · pitch · stick · swing · squash

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. cap — a hat
  3. pitch — completely
  4. cap — a lid
  5. stock — shares
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. mate — a partner
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. fine — high quality
  10. swing — to play on
  11. mate — a friend
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. fine — all right
  14. cap — of ice
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. swing — music
  17. squash — to crush
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. squash — the sport
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. swing — in golf
  24. stock — goods

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