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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 116 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: drill · rest · pitch · pound · swing · spring · stock · key

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. stock — shares
  3. swing — to play on
  4. rest — a break
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. spring — the season
  7. swing — in golf
  8. stock — goods
  9. spring — of water
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. spring — a coil
  12. rest — what's left
  13. key — for a lock
  14. pitch — completely
  15. drill — army training
  16. swing — music
  17. rest — what's left
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. key — in music
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. drill — the tool
  23. drill — a practice
  24. key — the most important part

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