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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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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: pass · field · pitch · pop · degree · deal · wound · fall

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  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. pop — soda
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. field — for sport
  4. wound — an injury
  5. pop — music
  6. fall — to drop
  7. wound — an injury
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. field — a subject
  11. pitch — completely
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. degree — temperature
  14. degree — an amount
  15. field — farmland
  16. fall — to drop
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. pop — to visit
  19. pass — a permit
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. fall — the season
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. deal — to handle
  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