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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.

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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: stock · track · stick · cap · pitch · hand · field · band

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. stock — goods
  3. hand — in cards
  4. band — a ring
  5. stock — shares
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. band — a music group
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. cap — a hat
  11. field — a subject
  12. field — for sport
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. cap — a lid
  15. hand — help
  16. field — farmland
  17. pitch — completely
  18. cap — of ice
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. track — a path
  21. track — a song
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. track — to keep track
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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