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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: pitcher · club · fall · hide · degree · cabinet · bass · rest

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  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. degree — temperature
  2. bass — the fish
  3. fall — the season
  4. bass — low music
  5. club — a group
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. club — for golf
  8. club — for dancing
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. rest — what's left
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. degree — an amount
  16. fall — to drop
  17. rest — what's left
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. fall — to drop
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. rest — a break
  23. hide — to keep secret
  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