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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. pitch — completely
  4. spring — the season
  5. net — in sport
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. net — after costs
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. degree — temperature
  10. deal — to handle
  11. degree — an amount
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. lie — to recline
  14. board — a committee
  15. spring — a coil
  16. degree — from a university
  17. board — to get on
  18. net — for catching
  19. row — a line
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. spring — of water
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. row — to paddle
  24. row — a quarrel

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