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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 116 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 · file · bat · pit · snap · band · pitcher · land

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. pit — in a race
  4. file — a tool
  5. bat — the animal
  6. pit — a hole
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. land — ground
  9. file — a line of people
  10. band — a ring
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. band — a music group
  13. snap — to click
  14. land — a country
  15. file — a document
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. land — to come down
  21. stock — shares
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. stock — goods

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