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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: scale · sharp · pitch · craft · degree · firm · mug · bat

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. mug — a cup
  3. craft — a skill
  4. mug — a face
  5. firm — decided
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. firm — a company
  8. degree — from a university
  9. craft — boats
  10. degree — temperature
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. degree — an amount
  14. sharp — clever
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. firm — steady
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. scale — size or range
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. bat — the animal
  21. scale — in music
  22. pitch — completely
  23. mug — to rob
  24. bat — in an idiom

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