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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.

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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: last · hide · rash · bank · fall · degree · safe · pitch

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  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 — from a university
  2. last — finally
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. fall — to drop
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. last — to go on
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. degree — temperature
  10. rash — hasty
  11. last — final
  12. fall — the season
  13. bank — of a river
  14. bank — for money
  15. degree — an amount
  16. pitch — completely
  17. fall — to drop
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. rash — a series
  22. bank — for money
  23. rash — on the skin
  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