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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: hide · bore · season · lie · cap · pitch · pit · degree

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. degree — from a university
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. bore — to drill
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. cap — of ice
  12. bore — to tire
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. season — in sport
  15. degree — an amount
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. lie — to recline
  18. cap — a hat
  19. season — of the year
  20. degree — temperature
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. pitch — completely
  23. pit — a hole
  24. pit — in a race

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