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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: bay · pitcher · club · bat · last · kick · prune · stock

  1. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. club — for dancing
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. last — final
  10. stock — goods
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. bat — the animal
  13. club — for golf
  14. last — to go on
  15. prune — to trim
  16. last — finally
  17. prune — to trim
  18. kick — in football
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. club — a group
  22. stock — shares
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. kick — with a leg

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