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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: stem · stock · staff · rash · snap · pitcher · bat · pitch

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. snap — to click
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. staff — a stick
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. stock — goods
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. rash — hasty
  10. stock — shares
  11. rash — a series
  12. stem — to come from
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. pitch — completely
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. staff — employees
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. staff — employees
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  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