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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: pitcher · pop · pit · season · degree · mug · sharp · cabinet

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. degree — from a university
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. mug — a face
  8. degree — an amount
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. season — of the year
  11. pop — soda
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. season — in sport
  14. pit — in a race
  15. pop — to visit
  16. mug — a cup
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. sharp — clever
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. pop — music
  23. degree — temperature
  24. pit — a hole

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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