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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. degree — an amount
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitch — completely
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. scale — size or range
  13. degree — temperature
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. snap — to click
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. scale — in music
  23. degree — from a university
  24. pass — a permit

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