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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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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: march · bank · stock · hand · pitch · fan · rock · degree

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. march — music
  4. degree — an amount
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. degree — temperature
  7. degree — from a university
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. bank — for money
  10. pitch — completely
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. bank — of a river
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. bank — for money
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. rock — a stone
  19. hand — help
  20. hand — in cards
  21. stock — goods
  22. stock — shares
  23. rock — music
  24. march — the month

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