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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: file · pitcher · rash · pitch · degree · net · face · date

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. degree — an amount
  3. file — a line of people
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. net — in sport
  7. net — for catching
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. file — a tool
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. face — to confront
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. rash — hasty
  16. rash — a series
  17. file — a document
  18. face — part of the head
  19. face — to point toward
  20. pitch — completely
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. date — the fruit
  23. degree — from a university
  24. net — after costs

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