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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: band · cell · pitch · calf · track · stock · sharp · arm

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. band — a ring
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. pitch — completely
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. track — a song
  9. track — to keep track
  10. band — a music group
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. stock — goods
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. cell — a phone
  16. cell — in biology
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. sharp — clever
  23. pitch — a sports field
  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