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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 120 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: pitcher · stem · plane · pitch · rule · firm · vault · degree

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. firm — a company
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. pitch — completely
  7. degree — an amount
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. degree — from a university
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. degree — temperature
  12. firm — steady
  13. vault — a safe
  14. plane — a tool
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. stem — to come from
  18. firm — decided
  19. rule — a law
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. rule — government
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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