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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: bat · pitcher · mine · rule · game · foot · stand · stock

  1. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. game — wild animals
  5. rule — government
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. stock — shares
  12. game — a match
  13. rule — a law
  14. bat — the animal
  15. mine — for digging
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. stand — to bear
  19. foot — a measure
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. stock — goods
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. pitcher — a jug

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