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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: dip · face · degree · march · pitch · ruler

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. degree — an amount
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. march — the month
  5. face — to confront
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. degree — temperature
  8. dip — to sink
  9. pitch — completely
  10. face — part of the head
  11. march — the month
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. degree — from a university
  17. face — to point toward
  18. march — 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