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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: rash · pitch · snap · bark · bat · stick · stock · arm

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. snap — to click
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. bat — the animal
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. stock — shares
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. stock — goods
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. rash — a series
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. bark — to shout
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. rash — hasty

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