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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: wound · bound · game · bear · ground · pitch · nail · stock

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. ground — the earth
  3. bound — tied together
  4. stock — goods
  5. bound — certain
  6. pitch — completely
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. wound — an injury
  10. bound — obliged
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. bear — the animal
  14. game — a match
  15. ground — a position
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. game — wild animals
  18. stock — shares
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. wound — an injury
  21. ground — crushed
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. bear — the animal
  24. nail — for a hammer

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