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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: fine · rush · pitch · row · root · stock · pitcher · clip

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. row — a line
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. stock — goods
  7. pitch — completely
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. clip — for paper
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. stock — shares
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. clip — to cut
  17. fine — all right
  18. fine — high quality
  19. root — of a plant
  20. clip — a video
  21. row — to paddle
  22. root — the cause
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. root — of a word

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