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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: pitch · cold · root · drill · sharp · bay · craft · lean

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. drill — army training
  3. root — of a plant
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. drill — the tool
  6. drill — a practice
  7. root — of a word
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. craft — a skill
  10. cold — an illness
  11. root — the cause
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. sharp — clever
  14. lean — to bend
  15. craft — boats
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. lean — thin
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. pitch — completely
  20. cold — not warm
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. lean — to rest against

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