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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: net · mate · cue · pitch · spell · chest · ground · degree

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. net — in sport
  3. ground — the earth
  4. mate — a partner
  5. spell — magic
  6. cue — a signal
  7. degree — temperature
  8. degree — an amount
  9. net — for catching
  10. chest — of your body
  11. chest — a box
  12. ground — crushed
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. spell — a short time
  15. spell — letters
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. pitch — completely
  18. chest — of your body
  19. cue — a hint
  20. cue — for pool
  21. degree — from a university
  22. ground — a position
  23. net — after costs
  24. mate — a friend

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