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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: sharp · mark · pit · spring · pitcher · stock · fan · hand

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. hand — in cards
  3. sharp — clever
  4. pit — a hole
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. spring — the season
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. pit — in a race
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. spring — a coil
  12. spring — of water
  13. mark — a grade
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. stock — goods
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. hand — help
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. mark — a trace
  24. pitcher — a jug

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