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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: root · bat · cue · sharp · land · arm · pop · pitch

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. land — a country
  3. sharp — clever
  4. pitch — completely
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. pop — music
  8. land — ground
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. land — to come down
  11. root — the cause
  12. cue — for pool
  13. cue — a signal
  14. cue — a hint
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. pop — to visit
  19. pop — soda
  20. root — of a word
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. root — of a plant
  24. bat — the animal

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