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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.

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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: net · stock · track · pitcher · degree · row · plane · saw

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. degree — from a university
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. track — to keep track
  6. net — for catching
  7. track — a path
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. saw — the tool
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. degree — temperature
  12. net — in sport
  13. row — a line
  14. stock — shares
  15. net — after costs
  16. degree — an amount
  17. plane — a tool
  18. stock — goods
  19. row — to paddle
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. track — a song
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. saw — the tool

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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