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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.

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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: kick · current · wake · pitch · stock · bat · dip · spring

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. stock — goods
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. bat — the animal
  6. dip — to sink
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. kick — in football
  9. current — of water
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. current — electric
  12. stock — shares
  13. wake — a trail
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. spring — the season
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. spring — a coil
  23. spring — of water
  24. current — happening now

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