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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: club · jam · season · hide · temple · dip · pitch · degree

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. club — for golf
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. dip — to sink
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. season — in sport
  10. degree — temperature
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. degree — from a university
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. club — for dancing
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. club — a group
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. pitch — completely
  23. season — of the year
  24. pitch — a sports field

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