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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.

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: capital · root · pop · lash · ground · temple · stock · pitch

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. root — the cause
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. ground — a position
  6. pop — soda
  7. root — of a plant
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. stock — goods
  10. capital — a city
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. ground — the earth
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. stock — shares
  16. root — of a word
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. capital — money
  21. ground — crushed
  22. pop — to visit
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. pop — music

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