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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: shower · fall · bay · degree · cell · safe · pitch · rush

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. degree — temperature
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. degree — an amount
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. fall — to drop
  7. shower — to wash
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. cell — a phone
  10. pitch — completely
  11. fall — to drop
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. cell — in biology
  18. fall — the season
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. degree — from a university
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. rush — hurry
  24. shower — rain

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