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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: stock · racket · pitcher · sharp · cap · land · pit · mine

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. sharp — clever
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. land — to come down
  6. mine — for digging
  7. stock — shares
  8. cap — of ice
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. cap — a hat
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. land — ground
  13. cap — a lid
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. pit — a hole
  21. land — a country
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. pit — in a race

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