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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: bat · track · season · squash · stick · rush · stock · staff

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. stock — goods
  3. track — a song
  4. season — in sport
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. track — a path
  7. staff — employees
  8. bat — the animal
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. rush — hurry
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. squash — to crush
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. staff — a stick
  21. staff — employees
  22. track — to keep track
  23. squash — the sport
  24. stock — shares

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