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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: lean · stock · current · pitcher · season · pit

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. current — happening now
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. stock — shares
  7. stock — goods
  8. pit — a hole
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. lean — to bend
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. current — of water
  15. season — of the year
  16. current — electric
  17. pit — in a race
  18. season — in sport

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