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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: staff · snap · lash · saw · pitch · degree · ball · row

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. degree — an amount
  6. staff — a stick
  7. staff — employees
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. saw — the tool
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. row — a line
  12. staff — employees
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. row — to paddle
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. saw — the tool
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. ball — a great time
  20. ball — a dance
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. snap — to click
  23. pitch — completely
  24. degree — temperature

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