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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: hand · pitch · stock · fall · pass · chair · kick · net

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. hand — in cards
  4. fall — to drop
  5. pitch — completely
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. fall — the season
  9. hand — help
  10. pass — a permit
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. net — for catching
  13. net — after costs
  14. net — in sport
  15. kick — in football
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. stock — goods
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. chair — a leader
  24. stock — shares

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