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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: racket · track · stock · bat · hide · net · staff · pass

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. track — to keep track
  3. staff — employees
  4. stock — goods
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. net — after costs
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. pass — a permit
  10. net — for catching
  11. track — a path
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. bat — the animal
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. net — in sport
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. staff — a stick
  19. track — a song
  20. stock — shares
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. staff — employees
  24. pass — to spend time

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