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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 room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. degree — an amount
  3. land — to come down
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. firm — steady
  7. snap — to click
  8. board — to get on
  9. chair — a leader
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. plane — a tool
  12. firm — decided
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. firm — a company
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. degree — temperature
  18. land — ground
  19. degree — from a university
  20. land — a country
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. board — a committee
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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