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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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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: pit · ball · clip · racket · mine · content · pound · stock

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. mine — for digging
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. stock — goods
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. clip — a video
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. pit — in a race
  13. stock — shares
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. clip — to cut
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. ball — a great time
  19. ball — a dance
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. clip — for paper
  22. content — the amount
  23. content — happy
  24. pound — a weight

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