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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
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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: land · pitch · degree · season · spell · date · rest · patient

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  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. season — of the year
  2. land — a country
  3. land — to come down
  4. rest — what's left
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. spell — magic
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. pitch — completely
  10. date — the fruit
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. rest — a break
  16. season — in sport
  17. spell — letters
  18. degree — temperature
  19. land — ground
  20. rest — what's left
  21. spell — a short time
  22. degree — an amount
  23. date — on the calendar
  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