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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.

Words on the sheet
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: bear · degree · pitch · hand · mine · current · pit · rock

  1. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. bear — the animal
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. bear — the animal
  7. hand — help
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. mine — for digging
  10. current — electric
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. pitch — completely
  13. degree — temperature
  14. rock — music
  15. hand — in cards
  16. current — of water
  17. current — happening now
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. pit — a hole
  20. degree — an amount
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. pit — in a race
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. degree — from a university

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