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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: roll · pitch · staff · patient · hand · stock · fine · degree

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. stock — goods
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. hand — help
  5. stock — shares
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. degree — from a university
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. fine — all right
  11. staff — employees
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. staff — employees
  15. degree — an amount
  16. pitch — completely
  17. staff — a stick
  18. hand — in cards
  19. fine — high quality
  20. roll — a list
  21. roll — a cake
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. degree — temperature

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