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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. present — the time now
  5. degree — an amount
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. wound — an injury
  9. degree — from a university
  10. pitch — completely
  11. wound — an injury
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. present — a gift
  14. stem — to come from
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. cap — of ice
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. cap — a lid
  22. present — there
  23. cap — a hat
  24. racket — for tennis

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