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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: march · pitch · staff · dip · bat · stock · cell · key

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. key — in music
  3. cell — a phone
  4. key — for a lock
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. pitch — completely
  8. stock — goods
  9. march — music
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. staff — employees
  13. staff — a stick
  14. stock — shares
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. march — the month
  17. dip — to sink
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. key — the most important part
  22. cell — in biology
  23. staff — employees
  24. march — the month

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