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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: spring · ball · pitch · fine · jam · foot · degree · season

  1. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. fine — high quality
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. ball — a great time
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. pitch — completely
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. season — in sport
  12. foot — a measure
  13. season — of the year
  14. degree — temperature
  15. degree — an amount
  16. fine — all right
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. spring — the season
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. spring — a coil
  22. spring — of water
  23. ball — a dance
  24. degree — from a university

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