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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: cue · lean · degree · rest · sharp · pitch · rush · root

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. degree — from a university
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. cue — for pool
  5. sharp — clever
  6. rest — what's left
  7. pitch — completely
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. root — of a plant
  10. cue — a signal
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. rest — a break
  14. root — of a word
  15. cue — a hint
  16. root — the cause
  17. lean — thin
  18. rest — what's left
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. rush — hurry
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. degree — an amount
  23. degree — temperature
  24. sharp — with an edge

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