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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 120 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 · board · coach · rest · bulb · sharp · degree · face

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. degree — an amount
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. face — part of the head
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. board — a committee
  8. pitch — completely
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. board — to get on
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. degree — from a university
  14. face — to confront
  15. degree — temperature
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. rest — what's left
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. sharp — clever
  21. bulb — for light
  22. bulb — for light
  23. face — to point toward
  24. rest — what's left

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