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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: leaves · pop · face · bulb · pitcher · pitch · degree · fork

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. pop — soda
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. degree — an amount
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. degree — temperature
  8. degree — from a university
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. pop — to visit
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. bulb — for light
  16. bulb — for light
  17. face — to point toward
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. face — to confront
  21. pop — music
  22. face — part of the head
  23. pitch — completely
  24. fork — in a road

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