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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: pitch · stock · wax · pitcher · ruler · mine · degree · rule

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. degree — temperature
  5. stock — shares
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. degree — an amount
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. rule — government
  14. rule — a law
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. stock — goods
  17. degree — from a university
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. wax — to grow
  21. mine — for digging
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. ruler — for measuring

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