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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 120 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. kid — to tease
  3. firm — decided
  4. firm — steady
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. bass — low music
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. stock — goods
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. bass — the fish
  17. firm — a company
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. kid — child
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. stock — shares
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. pitch — completely
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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