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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: pitch · mark · pound · mine · roll · stock · lash · season

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. stock — shares
  3. mark — a grade
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. mark — a trace
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. roll — a cake
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. stock — goods
  10. mine — for digging
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. pound — a weight
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. season — of the year
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. pitch — completely
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. season — in sport
  24. pound — to hit hard

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