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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: saw · pitch · degree · rash · bat · temple · mate · date

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. rash — a series
  3. degree — from a university
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. bat — the animal
  7. date — the fruit
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. rash — hasty
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. saw — the tool
  14. mate — a partner
  15. pitch — completely
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. mate — to breed
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. mate — a friend
  20. degree — an amount
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. saw — the tool
  23. degree — temperature
  24. temple — a place of worship

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