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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 116 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: mate · suit · pitch · drill · wound · stock · kick · fall

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  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. kick — a thrill
  2. stock — goods
  3. stock — shares
  4. drill — army training
  5. mate — to breed
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. pitch — completely
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. mate — a friend
  10. suit — to fit
  11. fall — the season
  12. mate — a partner
  13. suit — clothes
  14. suit — in cards
  15. drill — the tool
  16. kick — in football
  17. drill — a practice
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. wound — an injury
  20. fall — to drop
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. wound — an injury
  23. fall — to drop
  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