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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 120 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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. degree — temperature
  3. pitch — completely
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. court — for sport
  10. degree — from a university
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. ground — crushed
  13. court — of a king
  14. degree — an amount
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. ground — the earth
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. court — of law
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. kick — in football
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. wax — to grow

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