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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: pitcher · swing · bear · deal · last · stock · mine · bay

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. stock — goods
  6. deal — to handle
  7. swing — in golf
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. last — to go on
  11. last — finally
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. bear — the animal
  14. last — final
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. swing — to play on
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. swing — music
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. stock — shares
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. mine — for digging

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