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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. net — after costs
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. net — for catching
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. degree — from a university
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. file — a tool
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pitch — completely
  15. spell — a short time
  16. degree — an amount
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. spell — magic
  20. net — in sport
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. file — a document
  23. file — a line of people
  24. spell — letters

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