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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
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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 · deal · pitcher · chip · season · bay · cold · prune

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. stock — shares
  6. stock — goods
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. season — of the year
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. chip — to eat
  17. season — in sport
  18. cold — not warm
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. prune — to trim
  22. prune — to trim
  23. chip — for betting
  24. cold — an illness

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