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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.

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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: mouse · degree · pitcher · pitch · capital · pass · vault · squash

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. pass — a permit
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. degree — temperature
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. pitch — completely
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. capital — a city
  12. squash — the sport
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. vault — a safe
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. capital — money
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. degree — an amount
  22. squash — to crush
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. pitcher — a jug

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