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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. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. degree — temperature
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. cell — in biology
  5. face — to point toward
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. face — to confront
  8. suit — in cards
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. degree — an amount
  11. branch — a division
  12. degree — from a university
  13. wake — a trail
  14. face — part of the head
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. suit — to fit
  17. game — wild animals
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. cell — a phone
  20. pitch — completely
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. game — a match

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