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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: saw · racket · kick · pitch · fine · cabinet · kid · stock

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. kid — to tease
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. saw — the tool
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. saw — the tool
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. kick — in football
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. fine — high quality
  18. stock — goods
  19. pitch — completely
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. stock — shares
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. kid — child

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