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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: object · stock · stick · jam · pitch · degree · sharp · leaves

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. object — a thing
  3. sharp — clever
  4. pitch — completely
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. stock — shares
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. stock — goods
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. degree — from a university
  17. degree — an amount
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. object — to protest
  21. degree — temperature
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. object — an aim
  24. leaves — of a tree

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