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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: drill · stock · bat · pitcher · fine · lash · chip · spring

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. drill — army training
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. bat — the animal
  6. stock — shares
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. fine — high quality
  10. fine — all right
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. drill — a practice
  14. spring — a coil
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. chip — for betting
  21. drill — the tool
  22. stock — goods
  23. chip — to eat
  24. spring — the season

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