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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.

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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: bat · firm · pitcher · bound · bear · stock · field · track

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. bound — obliged
  3. firm — steady
  4. bear — the animal
  5. track — a path
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. field — for sport
  10. bound — tied together
  11. firm — decided
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. bound — certain
  14. field — farmland
  15. bear — the animal
  16. track — to keep track
  17. track — a song
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. stock — goods
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. bat — the animal
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. field — a subject
  24. firm — a company

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