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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: land · straw · bowl · bay · degree · drill · deal · pitch

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. degree — from a university
  4. land — ground
  5. pitch — completely
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. degree — temperature
  8. land — a country
  9. degree — an amount
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. drill — the tool
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. drill — a practice
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. land — to come down
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. drill — army training
  24. bowl — to roll

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