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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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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: row · pass · racket · fall · degree · pitcher · cell · season

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. row — a line
  3. degree — an amount
  4. degree — from a university
  5. cell — in biology
  6. pass — a permit
  7. fall — to drop
  8. season — in sport
  9. degree — temperature
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. cell — a phone
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. fall — to drop
  17. fall — the season
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. season — of the year
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. row — to paddle
  24. cell — in a prison

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