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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. pitch — completely
  3. bass — the fish
  4. bore — to tire
  5. degree — from a university
  6. root — the cause
  7. chip — for betting
  8. bass — low music
  9. net — in sport
  10. degree — an amount
  11. degree — temperature
  12. root — of a word
  13. root — of a plant
  14. net — for catching
  15. net — after costs
  16. chip — to eat
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. row — to paddle
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. bore — to drill
  23. row — a line
  24. chip — in a computer

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