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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: kick · track · bat · stock · press · net · arm · leaves

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. stock — goods
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. net — in sport
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. bat — the animal
  13. track — a song
  14. net — for catching
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. press — newspapers
  17. press — to push
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. net — after costs
  20. kick — in football
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. track — a path
  23. stock — shares
  24. press — a publisher

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