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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. lie — to recline
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. kid — child
  5. current — happening now
  6. kid — to tease
  7. vault — a safe
  8. degree — temperature
  9. current — electric
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. court — for sport
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. court — of law
  14. cue — a signal
  15. current — of water
  16. court — of a king
  17. cue — for pool
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. degree — from a university
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. cue — a hint
  22. degree — an amount
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. pitch — completely

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