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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: hide · dip · ground · cell · saw · can · pitch · degree

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. pitch — completely
  5. can — to be able to
  6. ground — crushed
  7. ground — the earth
  8. can — a tin
  9. dip — to sink
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. saw — the tool
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. ground — a position
  14. cell — a phone
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. saw — the tool
  17. degree — from a university
  18. degree — temperature
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. can — a tin
  24. degree — an amount

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