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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: foot · mug · degree · pitch · wound · dip · bowl · game

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. degree — temperature
  4. mug — a cup
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. foot — a measure
  7. dip — to sink
  8. game — a match
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. wound — an injury
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. pitch — completely
  13. degree — an amount
  14. game — wild animals
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. wound — an injury
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. degree — from a university
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. mug — a face
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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