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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 120 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: wake · pitcher · race · bat · lash · stock · suit · mark

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. race — humankind
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. suit — in cards
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. mark — a trace
  7. suit — to fit
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. race — the arms race
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. wake — a trail
  14. stock — goods
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. stock — shares
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. mark — a grade
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. race — a contest
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. suit — clothes
  24. bat — the animal

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