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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: patient · degree · pitch · straw · drill · net · calf · bass

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. degree — from a university
  4. net — after costs
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. net — for catching
  7. degree — an amount
  8. degree — temperature
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. bass — the fish
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. drill — a practice
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. drill — the tool
  19. net — in sport
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. bass — low music
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. pitch — completely

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