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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: net · track · bound · tear · stock · pop · foot · game

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. net — for catching
  3. tear — from crying
  4. pop — to visit
  5. bound — certain
  6. stock — shares
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. track — to keep track
  9. bound — obliged
  10. track — a song
  11. foot — a measure
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. game — a match
  15. tear — from crying
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. pop — soda
  18. net — in sport
  19. game — wild animals
  20. bound — tied together
  21. stock — goods
  22. track — a path
  23. net — after costs
  24. pop — music

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