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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: last · sharp · temple · root · straw · stock · degree · pitch

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. root — of a plant
  3. degree — an amount
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. degree — temperature
  8. sharp — clever
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. stock — shares
  12. pitch — completely
  13. last — final
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. root — of a word
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. root — the cause
  19. last — to go on
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. last — finally
  23. stock — goods
  24. sharp — exactly

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