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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 120 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: hide · stock · band · pitch · club · bat · bound · file

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. file — a line of people
  5. bound — tied together
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. band — a music group
  8. pitch — completely
  9. file — a document
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. bat — the animal
  12. stock — shares
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. band — a ring
  15. club — for golf
  16. club — a group
  17. bound — certain
  18. bound — obliged
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. club — for dancing
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. file — a tool
  23. stock — goods
  24. band — a rubber band

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