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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 116 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 players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. craft — boats
  4. mate — to breed
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. mate — a friend
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. craft — a skill
  10. mate — a partner
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. clip — for paper
  13. mug — to rob
  14. face — to point toward
  15. face — to confront
  16. mug — a cup
  17. degree — an amount
  18. mug — a face
  19. face — part of the head
  20. clip — a video
  21. clip — to cut
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. degree — temperature
  24. degree — from a university

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