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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: bound · stick · pitcher · net · staff · toast · stock · nail

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. staff — a stick
  5. toast — bread
  6. stock — goods
  7. bound — tied together
  8. bound — obliged
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. bound — certain
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. staff — employees
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. net — after costs
  18. net — for catching
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. staff — employees
  23. net — in sport
  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