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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: shower · chest · firm · cabinet · net · pitcher · pass · stock

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. shower — to wash
  5. chest — of your body
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. stock — goods
  8. firm — decided
  9. net — in sport
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. chest — a box
  13. pass — a permit
  14. firm — a company
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. shower — rain
  17. stock — shares
  18. chest — of your body
  19. net — after costs
  20. firm — steady
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. net — for catching

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