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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: cell · can · shower · leaves · degree · pass · pitch · hand

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. cell — a phone
  4. pass — a permit
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. degree — temperature
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. can — to be able to
  10. cell — in biology
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. degree — an amount
  13. hand — help
  14. can — a tin
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. shower — to wash
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. can — a tin
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. degree — from a university
  23. shower — rain
  24. hand — in cards

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