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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: bat · pitcher · tube · stock · rule · rash · racket · current

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. current — happening now
  5. tube — a container
  6. rule — a law
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. rash — hasty
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. stock — shares
  15. current — of water
  16. rash — a series
  17. bat — the animal
  18. current — electric
  19. stock — goods
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. rule — government
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. tube — the underground

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