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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: bore · pitcher · content · mine · degree · pitch · roll · bass

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. bass — the fish
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. pitch — completely
  5. content — the amount
  6. bore — to tire
  7. degree — temperature
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. degree — from a university
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. mine — for digging
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. roll — a cake
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. bass — low music
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. degree — an amount
  21. roll — a list
  22. content — happy
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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