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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: stand · bat · cabinet · pitcher · stock · clip · rush · net

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. clip — for paper
  4. clip — a video
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. stand — to bear
  8. stock — goods
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. net — for catching
  16. stock — shares
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. bat — the animal
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. net — after costs
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. clip — to cut
  24. rush — hurry

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