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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: date · bat · mark · dip · pitch · stock · toast · pit

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. mark — a trace
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. toast — bread
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. pitch — completely
  8. mark — a grade
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. stock — goods
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. dip — to sink
  16. bat — the animal
  17. date — the fruit
  18. pit — a hole
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. stock — shares
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. pit — in a race

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