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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 120 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: degree · pitch · cue · saw · stock · arm · bass · race

  1. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. pitch — completely
  3. bass — low music
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. race — a contest
  7. saw — the tool
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. bass — the fish
  10. race — humankind
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. saw — the tool
  13. cue — a signal
  14. degree — from a university
  15. stock — shares
  16. stock — goods
  17. degree — an amount
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. race — the arms race
  20. cue — a hint
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. degree — temperature
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. arm — a part of something

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