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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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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: dip · bear · pitch · scale · toast · lash · degree · wind

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  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. pitch — completely
  2. bear — the animal
  3. wind — moving air
  4. dip — to sink
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. wind — moving air
  8. toast — bread
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. degree — an amount
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. degree — temperature
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. scale — in music
  22. scale — size or range
  23. bear — the animal
  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