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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: pop · ground · stock · hide · pit · bank · bat · sharp

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. stock — shares
  5. pop — to visit
  6. sharp — clever
  7. ground — crushed
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. bank — for money
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. pit — in a race
  14. bank — for money
  15. ground — a position
  16. bank — of a river
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. pop — soda
  20. pit — a hole
  21. ground — the earth
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. bat — the animal
  24. stock — goods

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