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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 · dip · deal · land · rush · net · pass · pit

  1. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. rush — hurry
  5. degree — from a university
  6. pit — a hole
  7. degree — temperature
  8. pit — in a race
  9. land — to come down
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. land — ground
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. land — a country
  15. dip — to sink
  16. net — in sport
  17. degree — an amount
  18. net — after costs
  19. deal — to handle
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. net — for catching
  24. pass — to succeed

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