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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 116 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: fine · pitch · bank · mine · degree · suit · stock · clip

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. degree — from a university
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. stock — goods
  5. suit — in cards
  6. bank — of a river
  7. fine — high quality
  8. degree — temperature
  9. pitch — completely
  10. suit — clothes
  11. degree — an amount
  12. fine — all right
  13. bank — for money
  14. clip — for paper
  15. suit — to fit
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. stock — shares
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. mine — for digging
  22. clip — a video
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. bank — for money

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