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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. ground — the earth
  3. squash — the sport
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. key — in music
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. key — the most important part
  8. pitch — completely
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. key — for a lock
  13. hand — in cards
  14. hand — help
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. squash — to crush
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. degree — from a university
  19. ground — a position
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. ground — crushed
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. degree — an amount
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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