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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: coach · cell · last · root · sharp · pitch · stock · leaves

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. cell — in biology
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. last — to go on
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. stock — shares
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. last — final
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. root — of a word
  13. stock — goods
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. sharp — clever
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. cell — a phone
  19. root — of a plant
  20. pitch — completely
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. last — finally
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. root — the cause

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