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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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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: rest · degree · dip · bowl · pitch · drill · pound · trunk

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. rest — a break
  3. pound — a weight
  4. drill — army training
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. rest — what's left
  7. pitch — completely
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. degree — temperature
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. rest — what's left
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. degree — from a university
  17. drill — the tool
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. dip — to sink
  20. degree — an amount
  21. drill — a practice
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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