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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: pitch · pop · deal · club · stock · bank · cell · wound

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. bank — for money
  3. wound — an injury
  4. deal — to handle
  5. cell — a phone
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. club — a group
  9. bank — of a river
  10. bank — for money
  11. stock — goods
  12. pop — soda
  13. stock — shares
  14. club — for dancing
  15. pop — to visit
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. wound — an injury
  19. pop — music
  20. pitch — completely
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. club — for golf
  23. cell — in biology
  24. deal — a big deal

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