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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. spring — of water
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. bound — obliged
  5. game — a match
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. chip — for betting
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. chip — to eat
  10. degree — temperature
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. bound — tied together
  13. bound — certain
  14. degree — from a university
  15. spring — the season
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. degree — an amount
  20. scale — size or range
  21. game — wild animals
  22. spring — a coil
  23. lie — to recline
  24. scale — in music

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