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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: pitch · craft · bass · present · wound · hide · degree · bay

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. present — there
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. craft — boats
  6. bass — the fish
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. degree — from a university
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. degree — an amount
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. present — the time now
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. wound — an injury
  18. present — a gift
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. degree — temperature
  21. bass — low music
  22. craft — a skill
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. pitch — completely

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