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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. lie — to recline
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. bulb — for light
  5. degree — from a university
  6. date — the fruit
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. pitch — completely
  10. bulb — for light
  11. degree — an amount
  12. key — in music
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. key — the most important part
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. shower — rain
  19. key — for a lock
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. degree — temperature
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. shower — to wash

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