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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 116 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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. bound — obliged
  4. rock — a stone
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. swing — music
  7. last — final
  8. swing — in golf
  9. lie — to recline
  10. bound — tied together
  11. degree — from a university
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. degree — temperature
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. bound — certain
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. rock — music
  19. last — to go on
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. swing — to play on
  23. pitch — completely
  24. last — finally

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