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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. firm — decided
  3. pitch — completely
  4. kid — child
  5. firm — steady
  6. firm — a company
  7. degree — temperature
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. present — there
  10. kid — to tease
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. chair — a leader
  15. lie — to recline
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. present — the time now
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. degree — from a university
  22. degree — an amount
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. pitcher — a jug

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