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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: root · pitch · stock · chair · jam · mouse · field · craft

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. field — a subject
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. root — the cause
  8. field — farmland
  9. root — of a word
  10. field — for sport
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. stock — goods
  13. root — of a plant
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. chair — a leader
  16. stock — shares
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. craft — a skill
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. craft — boats
  21. pitch — completely
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. mouse — the animal

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