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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: pitcher · cabinet · pit · degree · dip · plane · sharp · season

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. degree — an amount
  4. sharp — clever
  5. dip — to sink
  6. plane — a tool
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. season — in sport
  9. degree — temperature
  10. pit — in a race
  11. pit — a hole
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. degree — from a university
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. season — of the year
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. dip — a sauce

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