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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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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: degree · fall · season · cell · lean · stick · pitch · rule

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. degree — temperature
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. degree — from a university
  5. fall — to drop
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. season — in sport
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. pitch — completely
  11. cell — a phone
  12. rule — government
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. lean — thin
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. season — of the year
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. fall — to drop
  19. degree — an amount
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. fall — the season
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. rule — a law
  24. lean — to bend

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