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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: stand · firm · wind · bear · stock · cell · kid · pitch

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. stock — goods
  3. pitch — completely
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. bear — the animal
  9. wind — moving air
  10. firm — decided
  11. bear — the animal
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. cell — a phone
  14. stock — shares
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. firm — a company
  17. stand — to bear
  18. kid — child
  19. firm — steady
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. wind — moving air
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. cell — in biology

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