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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: can · leaves · stock · pitch · staff · ground · swing · bat

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. can — a tin
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. staff — employees
  7. staff — employees
  8. pitch — completely
  9. can — to be able to
  10. stock — goods
  11. bat — the animal
  12. ground — a position
  13. can — a tin
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. ground — the earth
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. swing — music
  21. ground — crushed
  22. swing — to play on
  23. swing — in golf
  24. stock — shares

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