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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
468
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: content · pound · spell · pitch · club · ground · hide · stock

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. club — a group
  5. ground — crushed
  6. stock — shares
  7. pound — a weight
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. content — the amount
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. spell — letters
  13. ground — a position
  14. stock — goods
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. pitch — completely
  17. spell — magic
  18. content — happy
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. ground — the earth
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. spell — a short time
  23. club — for dancing
  24. club — for golf

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