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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: pitch · bear · pop · net · saw · bound · stock · mine

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. bound — obliged
  3. pop — soda
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. saw — the tool
  6. bear — the animal
  7. bear — the animal
  8. saw — the tool
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. net — for catching
  11. pop — music
  12. net — after costs
  13. mine — for digging
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. net — in sport
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. stock — shares
  21. bound — tied together
  22. bound — certain
  23. pop — to visit
  24. pitch — completely

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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