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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: firm · fall · root · rest · pitch · stock · date · wake

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. date — the fruit
  5. stock — shares
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. fall — the season
  9. rest — what's left
  10. rest — a break
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. wake — a trail
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. stock — goods
  15. root — of a plant
  16. root — the cause
  17. firm — a company
  18. rest — what's left
  19. fall — to drop
  20. root — of a word
  21. firm — steady
  22. pitch — completely
  23. fall — to drop
  24. date — on the calendar

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