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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: pop · degree · wind · pass · dip · season · mate · pitcher

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. mate — a friend
  4. mate — a partner
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. degree — temperature
  7. pop — music
  8. pop — to visit
  9. degree — an amount
  10. mate — to breed
  11. season — in sport
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. wind — moving air
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. pass — a permit
  18. season — of the year
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. dip — to sink
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. wind — moving air
  23. degree — from a university
  24. pop — soda

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