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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: date · pitch · sharp · degree · mate · wave · club · wound

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. pitch — completely
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. club — for golf
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. degree — an amount
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. mate — a partner
  9. club — for dancing
  10. degree — temperature
  11. date — the fruit
  12. mate — to breed
  13. sharp — clever
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. club — a group
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. wound — an injury
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. wound — an injury
  23. degree — from a university
  24. mate — a friend

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