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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: pitch · lean · stock · coach · calf · net · file · date

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. file — a document
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. pitch — completely
  7. file — a line of people
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. net — after costs
  12. net — in sport
  13. file — a tool
  14. stock — shares
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. net — for catching
  18. date — the fruit
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. stock — goods
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. lean — thin

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