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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: calf · wake · pitch · degree · root · charge · fall · stock

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. fall — to drop
  4. degree — temperature
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. root — of a word
  7. fall — the season
  8. degree — an amount
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. stock — shares
  11. root — of a plant
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. degree — from a university
  15. root — the cause
  16. charge — electricity
  17. stock — goods
  18. charge — a price
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. pitch — completely
  21. charge — in control
  22. fall — to drop
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. wake — a trail

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