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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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. degree — an amount
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. firm — steady
  11. pitch — completely
  12. degree — from a university
  13. firm — a company
  14. wake — a trail
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. firm — decided
  17. bore — to drill
  18. wound — an injury
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. wound — an injury
  21. bore — to tire
  22. rush — hurry
  23. degree — temperature
  24. bore — gave birth

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