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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.

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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: season · cabinet · mark · kid · degree · suit · mate · pitch

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. mark — a grade
  3. degree — an amount
  4. suit — clothes
  5. suit — to fit
  6. pitch — completely
  7. mark — a trace
  8. suit — in cards
  9. season — in sport
  10. season — of the year
  11. mate — a friend
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. kid — child
  18. degree — from a university
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. kid — to tease
  21. degree — temperature
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. mate — to breed
  24. mate — a partner

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