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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: content · stock · lean · pitch · rush · race · mine · racket

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. stock — goods
  7. content — the amount
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. content — happy
  10. lean — thin
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. lean — to bend
  13. race — a contest
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. stock — shares
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. race — humankind
  19. rush — hurry
  20. pitch — completely
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. race — the arms race

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