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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: mark · band · pitch · root · degree · pitcher · fan · fall

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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. degree — from a university
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. degree — temperature
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. band — a music group
  10. root — of a word
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. mark — a trace
  14. fall — the season
  15. band — a ring
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. mark — a grade
  18. root — of a plant
  19. fall — to drop
  20. fall — to drop
  21. root — the cause
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. degree — an amount

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