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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 120 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.

Make a worksheet

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: staff · pitch · ball · calf · saw · degree · root · face

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. staff — a stick
  3. face — to point toward
  4. saw — the tool
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. staff — employees
  7. degree — an amount
  8. saw — the tool
  9. face — to confront
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. degree — from a university
  13. ball — a great time
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. root — of a plant
  18. degree — temperature
  19. ball — a dance
  20. face — part of the head
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. staff — employees
  23. root — the cause
  24. pitch — completely

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