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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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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: race · stem · deal · stock · bat · pit

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. pit — a hole
  3. deal — to handle
  4. stem — to come from
  5. stock — shares
  6. stock — goods
  7. race — humankind
  8. race — a contest
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. race — the arms race
  17. pit — in a race
  18. deal — a big deal

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