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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: degree · temple · net · board · cap · shower · rush · pitch

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. net — after costs
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. degree — temperature
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. shower — to wash
  11. pitch — completely
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. board — to get on
  14. rush — hurry
  15. net — in sport
  16. cap — a lid
  17. board — a committee
  18. degree — an amount
  19. shower — rain
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. degree — from a university
  23. net — for catching
  24. cap — of ice

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