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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: ground · pitch · season · ruler · perch · nail · root · sharp

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. root — the cause
  3. season — of the year
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. perch — the fish
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. root — of a plant
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. season — in sport
  13. ground — a position
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. root — of a word
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. pitch — completely
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. ground — the earth
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. sharp — clever
  24. ground — crushed

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