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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. degree — temperature
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. degree — from a university
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. stem — to come from
  9. lean — to bend
  10. rule — government
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. lean — thin
  13. prune — to trim
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. net — in sport
  16. prune — to trim
  17. net — for catching
  18. stand — to bear
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. net — after costs
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. rule — a law
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. pitch — completely

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