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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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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 · mark · club · temple · pitch · wind · rash · mouse

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. rash — a series
  3. degree — temperature
  4. degree — from a university
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. rash — hasty
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. club — for golf
  11. pitch — completely
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. mark — a trace
  16. club — a group
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. wind — moving air
  19. club — for dancing
  20. wind — moving air
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. mark — a grade
  24. degree — an amount

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