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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: bass · suit · pitch · sharp · ground · degree · file · bay

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. file — a line of people
  3. degree — from a university
  4. ground — the earth
  5. ground — crushed
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. file — a document
  9. degree — an amount
  10. bass — low music
  11. suit — in cards
  12. bass — the fish
  13. suit — to fit
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. degree — temperature
  19. sharp — clever
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. ground — a position
  23. pitch — completely
  24. suit — clothes

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