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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 120 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: degree · sharp · temple · mine · ground · pitch · cabinet · spell

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. pitch — completely
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. spell — a short time
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. ground — a position
  7. mine — for digging
  8. ground — the earth
  9. degree — an amount
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. spell — magic
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. sharp — clever
  18. spell — letters
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. degree — from a university
  21. ground — crushed
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. degree — temperature

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