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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 120 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 · stock · mine · cue · bass · wake · chest · charge

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. bass — low music
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. cue — a signal
  7. wake — a trail
  8. stock — shares
  9. mine — for digging
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. chest — of your body
  12. cue — a hint
  13. chest — a box
  14. chest — of your body
  15. stock — goods
  16. charge — in control
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. charge — electricity
  20. charge — a price
  21. pitch — completely
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. cue — for pool

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