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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 116 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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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: mug · pitch · sharp · mark · rock · degree · squash · board

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. mug — a face
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. squash — to crush
  6. sharp — clever
  7. degree — from a university
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. degree — temperature
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. mug — a cup
  14. rock — a stone
  15. squash — the sport
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. board — to get on
  18. mark — a trace
  19. board — a committee
  20. mug — to rob
  21. degree — an amount
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. mark — a grade
  24. pitch — completely

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