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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.

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 · pit · pass · bat · hand · coach · cold · band

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. hand — in cards
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. cold — not warm
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. cold — an illness
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. stock — goods
  9. pit — in a race
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. band — a ring
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. band — a music group
  17. pit — a hole
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. pass — a permit
  22. stock — shares
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. hand — help

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