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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: lash · ground · stock · pitch · sharp · patient · game · root

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. sharp — clever
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. root — the cause
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. pitch — completely
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. ground — the earth
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. stock — shares
  17. game — a match
  18. ground — a position
  19. root — of a word
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. ground — crushed
  22. game — wild animals
  23. stock — goods
  24. root — of a plant

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