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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 116 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: leaves · net · last · pit · pitch · sharp · rest · degree

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. net — in sport
  3. rest — what's left
  4. net — for catching
  5. degree — temperature
  6. last — finally
  7. rest — what's left
  8. pit — in a race
  9. rest — a break
  10. last — to go on
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. last — final
  13. pitch — completely
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. sharp — clever
  16. net — after costs
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. degree — an amount
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. pit — a hole
  23. degree — from a university
  24. sharp — exactly

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