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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
468
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: bat · saw · degree · bowl · pitch · foot · wax · rash

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. saw — the tool
  6. rash — hasty
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. degree — from a university
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. bat — the animal
  13. degree — temperature
  14. pitch — completely
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. foot — a measure
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. degree — an amount
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. wax — to grow
  23. rash — on the skin
  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