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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 116 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: mine · pitch · hide · snap · stock · pop · pitcher · bay

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. pitch — completely
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. stock — shares
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. stock — goods
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. pop — music
  21. pop — soda
  22. mine — for digging
  23. pop — to visit
  24. mine — an explosive

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