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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: stock · lie · snap · cabinet · bat · court · pitch · hide

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. lie — to recline
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. stock — goods
  12. court — of law
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. snap — to click
  16. stock — shares
  17. court — of a king
  18. pitch — completely
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. bat — the animal
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. court — for sport

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