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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: stock · last · racket · bear · pitch · ground · chest · nail

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. ground — the earth
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. last — final
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. ground — a position
  10. pitch — completely
  11. stock — goods
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. bear — the animal
  14. last — to go on
  15. ground — crushed
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. chest — a box
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. last — finally
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. bear — the animal
  23. chest — of your body
  24. chest — of your body

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