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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: board · stick · stock · pitcher · net · cell

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. 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. stock — shares
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. board — a committee
  4. cell — a phone
  5. stock — goods
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. net — after costs
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. board — to get on
  14. net — in sport
  15. cell — in biology
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. net — for catching
  18. 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