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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: pitch · bat · degree · net · bay · board · pop · club

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. degree — temperature
  4. club — for golf
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. board — to get on
  8. pop — soda
  9. net — in sport
  10. net — for catching
  11. pitch — completely
  12. degree — an amount
  13. pop — to visit
  14. net — after costs
  15. club — a group
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. bat — the animal
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. board — a committee
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. degree — from a university
  22. pop — music
  23. club — for dancing
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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