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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: bass · pitch · sharp · degree · fine · pop · saw · cabinet

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. pop — music
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. pitch — completely
  7. fine — all right
  8. saw — the tool
  9. pop — to visit
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. bass — low music
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. fine — high quality
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. saw — the tool
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. degree — temperature
  21. degree — from a university
  22. pop — soda
  23. bass — the fish
  24. sharp — clever

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