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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: sharp · arm · pitch · degree · land · bulb · scale · dip

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. pitch — completely
  3. degree — from a university
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. degree — temperature
  7. dip — to sink
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. land — to come down
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. degree — an amount
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. land — a country
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. sharp — clever
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. scale — in music
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. bulb — for light
  21. scale — size or range
  22. land — ground
  23. bulb — for light
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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