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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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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: racket · bay · stock · drill · stand · cap · straw · bat

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. stand — to bear
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. drill — army training
  5. drill — a practice
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. stock — goods
  10. cap — a hat
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. cap — a lid
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. stock — shares
  20. bat — the animal
  21. cap — of ice
  22. drill — the tool
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. bay — a horse colour

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