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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 · branch · sharp · mate · suit · swing · degree · row

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. suit — to fit
  3. mate — to breed
  4. degree — an amount
  5. mate — a friend
  6. degree — temperature
  7. row — to paddle
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. pitch — completely
  10. degree — from a university
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. mate — a partner
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. swing — to play on
  15. swing — music
  16. suit — in cards
  17. sharp — clever
  18. row — a line
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. suit — clothes
  24. branch — a division

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