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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: foot · wax · march · pitcher · pitch · cell · bass · degree

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. degree — an amount
  4. pitch — completely
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. foot — a measure
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. degree — temperature
  10. cell — in biology
  11. bass — the fish
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. bass — low music
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. degree — from a university
  16. march — music
  17. wax — to grow
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. cell — a phone
  22. march — the month
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. wax — in the ear

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