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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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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: stand · pitch · kick · wound · kid · foot · plane · stock

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. wound — an injury
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. plane — a tool
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. kid — to tease
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. stock — shares
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. stand — to bear
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. kid — child
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. foot — a measure
  18. wound — an injury
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. pitch — completely
  21. stock — goods
  22. kick — in football
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. foot — the bottom

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