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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
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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 · deal · saw · pitch · spell · game · date · pit

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. game — wild animals
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. pit — in a race
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. spell — magic
  9. spell — letters
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. deal — to handle
  12. pit — a hole
  13. saw — the tool
  14. pitch — completely
  15. degree — temperature
  16. degree — from a university
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. date — the fruit
  21. game — a match
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. spell — a short time
  24. saw — the tool

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