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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: degree · pitch · net · spring · season · mug · firm · lean

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. net — in sport
  3. mug — a cup
  4. net — for catching
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. lean — to bend
  7. spring — a coil
  8. degree — from a university
  9. firm — steady
  10. mug — a face
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. net — after costs
  13. pitch — completely
  14. firm — a company
  15. lean — thin
  16. spring — the season
  17. degree — an amount
  18. season — in sport
  19. mug — to rob
  20. season — of the year
  21. firm — decided
  22. spring — of water
  23. degree — temperature
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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