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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: staff · date · degree · stock · net · pitch · fine · saw

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. stock — goods
  3. stock — shares
  4. saw — the tool
  5. degree — from a university
  6. staff — employees
  7. pitch — completely
  8. degree — temperature
  9. saw — the tool
  10. degree — an amount
  11. net — after costs
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. staff — a stick
  15. fine — high quality
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. net — for catching
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. fine — all right
  20. staff — employees
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. date — the fruit
  24. stock — a soup base

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