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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 116 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: staff · bay · track · pitch · deal · bound · stock · nail

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. staff — employees
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. staff — a stick
  5. track — a song
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. stock — goods
  9. bound — obliged
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. stock — shares
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. pitch — completely
  14. bound — certain
  15. track — to keep track
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. bound — tied together
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. deal — to handle
  23. staff — employees
  24. track — a path

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