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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 · march · stock · craft · pit · bowl · tube · pitcher

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. march — music
  3. march — the month
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. craft — a skill
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. stock — goods
  12. pit — in a race
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. march — the month
  17. stock — shares
  18. tube — a container
  19. bat — the animal
  20. tube — the underground
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. craft — boats
  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