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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. degree — temperature
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. degree — an amount
  7. degree — from a university
  8. cold — an illness
  9. cold — not warm
  10. sharp — clever
  11. club — for golf
  12. club — a group
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. bulb — for light
  18. club — for dancing
  19. pitch — completely
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. bulb — for light

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