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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: stick · capital · pitch · present · roll · net · root · date

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. present — the time now
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. net — in sport
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. present — there
  8. present — a gift
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. net — after costs
  11. date — the fruit
  12. roll — a cake
  13. capital — money
  14. pitch — completely
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. root — the cause
  17. root — of a word
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. net — for catching
  21. roll — a list
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. capital — a city
  24. root — of a plant

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