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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 116 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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. mark — a grade
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. pop — music
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. present — the time now
  8. pitch — completely
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. present — a gift
  11. mark — a trace
  12. band — a music group
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. degree — from a university
  15. pop — soda
  16. band — a ring
  17. pop — to visit
  18. present — there
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. rest — a break
  21. degree — an amount
  22. rest — what's left
  23. rest — what's left
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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