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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: stock · pitch · racket · ball · stand · present · bark · bat

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. bark — to shout
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. ball — a dance
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. bat — the animal
  11. present — a gift
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. stand — to bear
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. stock — goods
  17. stock — shares
  18. ball — a great time
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. pitch — completely
  23. present — there
  24. present — the time now

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