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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. pitch — completely
  4. degree — from a university
  5. can — a tin
  6. degree — an amount
  7. court — of a king
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. pop — soda
  10. staff — a stick
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. degree — temperature
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. court — of law
  16. court — for sport
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. can — a tin
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. pop — music
  22. staff — employees
  23. staff — employees
  24. can — to be able to

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