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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: date · bat · mark · dip · pitch · stock

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. 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. pitch — a sports field
  2. stock — shares
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. mark — a trace
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. date — the fruit
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. mark — a grade
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. pitch — completely
  14. dip — to sink
  15. bat — the animal
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. 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