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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: stock · stand · mate · pit · net · pitch · swing · lash

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. mate — a partner
  3. pit — a hole
  4. mate — a friend
  5. stock — goods
  6. net — after costs
  7. stock — shares
  8. swing — in golf
  9. net — for catching
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. net — in sport
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. pit — in a race
  15. mate — to breed
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. swing — to play on
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. pitch — completely
  22. swing — music
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. stock — a soup base

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