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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: file · present · pitch · root · stock · march · field · spring

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. field — for sport
  3. root — of a plant
  4. root — the cause
  5. spring — the season
  6. file — a line of people
  7. file — a tool
  8. march — music
  9. stock — goods
  10. present — the time now
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. spring — a coil
  13. march — the month
  14. spring — of water
  15. present — a gift
  16. field — a subject
  17. stock — shares
  18. root — of a word
  19. field — farmland
  20. march — the month
  21. pitch — completely
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. present — there
  24. file — a document

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