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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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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: land · club · pound · mug · mine · nail · pitch · stock

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. mug — a face
  4. pound — a weight
  5. land — a country
  6. stock — goods
  7. mug — a cup
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. land — ground
  10. mug — to rob
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. club — a group
  13. mine — for digging
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. club — for dancing
  16. club — for golf
  17. pitch — completely
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. land — to come down
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. stock — shares

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