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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: pitcher · racket · content · mug · kid · bank · stock · deal

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. content — the amount
  4. bank — for money
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. stock — goods
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. kid — to tease
  9. content — happy
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. stock — shares
  12. kid — child
  13. deal — to handle
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. bank — of a river
  16. mug — a cup
  17. bank — for money
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. mug — to rob
  20. mug — a face
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. racket — for tennis

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