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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: fork · clip · pitch · straw · pit · bound · stock · bank

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. clip — to cut
  3. stock — goods
  4. bank — for money
  5. pitch — completely
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. pit — a hole
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. bound — tied together
  11. bank — for money
  12. bound — certain
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. clip — a video
  17. stock — shares
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. bank — of a river
  20. clip — for paper
  21. fork — in a road
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. pit — in a race

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