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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: stock · pit · rock · arm · ball · bat · saw · bark

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. pit — a hole
  3. ball — a great time
  4. stock — shares
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. bat — the animal
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. pit — in a race
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. rock — music
  14. rock — a stone
  15. saw — the tool
  16. stock — goods
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. saw — the tool
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. ball — a dance
  22. bark — to shout
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. arm — part of the body

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