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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 · rule · saw · swing · bat · mark · stock · degree

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. saw — the tool
  4. saw — the tool
  5. swing — music
  6. bat — the animal
  7. rule — government
  8. swing — in golf
  9. mark — a grade
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. stock — goods
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. mark — a trace
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. degree — an amount
  17. degree — temperature
  18. stock — shares
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. pitch — completely
  21. rule — a law
  22. degree — from a university
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. swing — to play on

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