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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: bay · cell · stock · hide · pitch · row · racket · pitcher

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. 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. stock — a soup base
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. cell — in biology
  11. cell — a phone
  12. row — to paddle
  13. pitch — completely
  14. row — a line
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. stock — shares
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. 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