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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. wind — moving air
  3. degree — an amount
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. pitch — completely
  6. bear — the animal
  7. roll — a cake
  8. degree — temperature
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. roll — a list
  12. ball — a great time
  13. bear — the animal
  14. ball — a dance
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. capital — a city
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. wind — moving air
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. foot — a measure
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. degree — from a university
  24. capital — money

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