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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: degree · game · spell · pitch · ground · key · wind · present

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. wind — moving air
  3. present — the time now
  4. pitch — completely
  5. ground — crushed
  6. spell — magic
  7. spell — letters
  8. key — in music
  9. degree — an amount
  10. spell — a short time
  11. present — there
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. wind — moving air
  14. ground — the earth
  15. present — a gift
  16. degree — temperature
  17. key — the most important part
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. degree — from a university
  21. game — a match
  22. key — for a lock
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. game — wild animals

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