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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 120 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: degree · bass · pitch · arm · bay · pitcher · clip · rock

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. bass — low music
  5. degree — temperature
  6. clip — a video
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. clip — for paper
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. degree — from a university
  13. bass — the fish
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. pitch — completely
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. rock — a stone
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. rock — music
  23. degree — an amount
  24. clip — to cut

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