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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: bulb · foot · land · pitch · mark · can · degree · snap

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  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. degree — an amount
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. snap — to click
  5. can — a tin
  6. bulb — for light
  7. degree — from a university
  8. mark — a trace
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. land — ground
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. mark — a grade
  13. land — a country
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. can — a tin
  16. land — to come down
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. bulb — for light
  19. foot — a measure
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. degree — temperature
  22. can — to be able to
  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