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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 124 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: bear · drill · pitch · lash · toast · cold · stand · stock

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. drill — the tool
  3. bear — the animal
  4. stand — to bear
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. drill — a practice
  7. drill — army training
  8. toast — bread
  9. pitch — completely
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. cold — not warm
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. stock — goods
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. cold — an illness
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. bear — the animal
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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