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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: nail · degree · season · drill · pitch · mark · pound · sharp

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. drill — the tool
  3. degree — temperature
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. pitch — completely
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. mark — a grade
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. drill — a practice
  11. season — of the year
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. degree — an amount
  15. pound — a weight
  16. degree — from a university
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. season — in sport
  19. drill — army training
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. sharp — clever
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. mark — a trace

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