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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: rest · object · net · pitch · kid · suit · mine · degree

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. suit — clothes
  3. rest — what's left
  4. object — to protest
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. suit — to fit
  7. rest — what's left
  8. mine — for digging
  9. object — a thing
  10. degree — from a university
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. kid — child
  14. net — for catching
  15. suit — in cards
  16. net — after costs
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. object — an aim
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. rest — a break
  21. net — in sport
  22. degree — an amount
  23. degree — temperature
  24. kid — to tease

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