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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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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 · rush · bound · race · pitch · pound · chest · net

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. net — for catching
  3. bound — tied together
  4. bound — obliged
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. pound — a weight
  7. race — humankind
  8. net — in sport
  9. pitch — completely
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. net — after costs
  12. stock — shares
  13. rush — hurry
  14. race — the arms race
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. chest — of your body
  17. chest — of your body
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. race — a contest
  20. chest — a box
  21. stock — goods
  22. bound — certain
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. pitch — a sports field

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