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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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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: trunk · kick · pitch · stock · lie · race · band · toast

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. stock — goods
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. lie — to recline
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. race — a contest
  8. pitch — completely
  9. band — a music group
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. band — a ring
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. race — the arms race
  19. race — humankind
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. kick — in football
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. toast — bread
  24. kick — with a leg

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