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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: foot · pitcher · degree · pass · squash · ground · roll · hide

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. squash — to crush
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. squash — the sport
  9. degree — from a university
  10. foot — a measure
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. roll — a cake
  14. ground — the earth
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. ground — crushed
  17. degree — temperature
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. degree — an amount
  20. roll — a list
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. pass — a permit

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