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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: pitch · deal · craft · chair · row · season · object · degree

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. object — an aim
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. season — in sport
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. degree — from a university
  8. pitch — completely
  9. craft — boats
  10. craft — a skill
  11. row — to paddle
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. object — a thing
  15. degree — an amount
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. chair — a leader
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. deal — to handle
  21. degree — temperature
  22. object — to protest
  23. season — of the year
  24. row — a line

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