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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
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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 · spell · track · tear · can · pitch · cell · sharp

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. pitch — completely
  3. tear — from crying
  4. can — a tin
  5. track — a path
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. can — to be able to
  8. spell — magic
  9. cell — a phone
  10. spell — a short time
  11. track — a song
  12. cell — in biology
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. sharp — clever
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. degree — from a university
  17. spell — letters
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. degree — temperature
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. degree — an amount
  22. track — to keep track
  23. can — a tin
  24. tear — to rip

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