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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 116 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: cabinet · stock · pit · firm · content · bat · pitcher · craft

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. stock — goods
  5. content — happy
  6. content — the amount
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. firm — steady
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. bat — the animal
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. stock — shares
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. pit — in a race
  16. firm — decided
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. craft — a skill
  22. firm — a company
  23. craft — boats
  24. pit — a hole

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