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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 116 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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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: bowl · fall · stick · pitch · degree · cap

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. degree — from a university
  3. fall — to drop
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. fall — to drop
  7. pitch — completely
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. cap — of ice
  11. cap — a hat
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. fall — the season
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. degree — an amount
  17. degree — temperature
  18. cap — a lid

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