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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: plane · kid · racket · stock · bound · march · pitch · calf

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. stock — goods
  3. march — music
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. plane — a tool
  6. bound — tied together
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. kid — child
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. pitch — completely
  11. march — the month
  12. march — the month
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. bound — obliged
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. stock — shares
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. bound — certain

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