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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 · chest · sharp · pass · last · cap · root · stock

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. pitch — completely
  3. root — of a word
  4. last — finally
  5. cap — a hat
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. stock — goods
  8. sharp — clever
  9. root — of a plant
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. root — the cause
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. cap — a lid
  14. last — to go on
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. chest — of your body
  18. stock — shares
  19. cap — of ice
  20. last — final
  21. chest — a box
  22. pass — a permit
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. chest — of your body

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