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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: season · pitch · prune · fall · stock · bat · suit · bass

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. fall — to drop
  3. stock — goods
  4. fall — to drop
  5. bass — low music
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. season — of the year
  8. bat — the animal
  9. fall — the season
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. bass — the fish
  12. stock — shares
  13. suit — clothes
  14. suit — in cards
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. season — in sport
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. prune — to trim
  19. suit — to fit
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. pitch — completely
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. prune — to trim
  24. bat — for baseball

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