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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: pitch · root · degree · land · mate · fall · stock · craft

  1. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. root — the cause
  3. mate — a partner
  4. fall — to drop
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. degree — from a university
  7. degree — an amount
  8. stock — goods
  9. degree — temperature
  10. mate — to breed
  11. root — of a plant
  12. pitch — completely
  13. stock — shares
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. land — to come down
  16. craft — boats
  17. craft — a skill
  18. mate — a friend
  19. fall — the season
  20. land — a country
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. root — of a word
  23. land — ground
  24. fall — to drop

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