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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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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: bulb · clip · degree · pass · trunk · mark · present · pitch

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. present — a gift
  3. degree — from a university
  4. pass — a permit
  5. mark — a trace
  6. bulb — for light
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. clip — to cut
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. degree — temperature
  11. present — there
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. present — the time now
  14. degree — an amount
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. clip — a video
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. pitch — completely
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. clip — for paper
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. mark — a grade
  24. bulb — for light

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