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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: bat · kick · rule · rash · stock · ball · mug · pitch

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. ball — a great time
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. bat — the animal
  6. mug — a cup
  7. kick — in football
  8. mug — to rob
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. pitch — completely
  12. rule — government
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. stock — goods
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. rule — a law
  18. stock — shares
  19. ball — a dance
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. rash — a series
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. rash — hasty

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