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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: kid · season · cap · bowl · can · pitcher · pit · degree

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. can — to be able to
  3. pit — in a race
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. kid — child
  6. can — a tin
  7. cap — a hat
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. cap — a lid
  10. cap — of ice
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. kid — to tease
  14. degree — temperature
  15. season — of the year
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. degree — an amount
  18. season — in sport
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. can — a tin
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. pit — a hole
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. bowl — a dish

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