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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. pitch — completely
  3. sharp — clever
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. mark — a trace
  6. scale — in music
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. spell — letters
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. scale — size or range
  13. mug — a cup
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. spell — a short time
  16. spell — magic
  17. wake — a trail
  18. degree — from a university
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. mark — a grade
  22. degree — an amount
  23. degree — temperature
  24. mug — to rob

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