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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: degree · current · rest · stick · firm · bat · hide · pitch

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  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. degree — from a university
  2. firm — steady
  3. degree — an amount
  4. bat — the animal
  5. firm — a company
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. rest — what's left
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. rest — a break
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. current — of water
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. current — electric
  19. current — happening now
  20. pitch — completely
  21. rest — what's left
  22. firm — decided
  23. degree — temperature
  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