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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.

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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: pound · content · pitch · snap · tear · racket · stock · can

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. tear — from crying
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. tear — from crying
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. content — the amount
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. can — a tin
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. can — to be able to
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. pound — a weight
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. stock — goods
  18. snap — to click
  19. content — happy
  20. stock — shares
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. tear — to rip
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. can — a tin

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