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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: stock · firm · jam · pitcher · pound · hand · object · net

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. net — after costs
  3. hand — in cards
  4. net — in sport
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. object — an aim
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. firm — a company
  12. object — a thing
  13. net — for catching
  14. object — to protest
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. pound — a weight
  19. hand — help
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. stock — goods
  23. firm — decided
  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