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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 116 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: season · pitch · current · lie · can · last · fan · degree

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. can — a tin
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. season — in sport
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. current — of water
  8. degree — from a university
  9. last — final
  10. can — a tin
  11. pitch — completely
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. last — finally
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. current — electric
  17. degree — an amount
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. season — of the year
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. current — happening now
  22. last — to go on
  23. degree — temperature
  24. can — to be able to

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