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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: pitch · calf · cabinet · rock · fall · stock · bat · rest

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. fall — to drop
  8. rest — what's left
  9. rest — a break
  10. fall — to drop
  11. rock — music
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. rest — what's left
  14. pitch — completely
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. bat — the animal
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. stock — shares
  20. stock — goods
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. fall — the season
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. rock — a stone

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