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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. branch — a division
  3. degree — an amount
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. chip — for betting
  6. degree — temperature
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. chip — to eat
  10. fork — in a road
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. degree — from a university
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. chair — a leader
  18. game — a match
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. stand — to bear
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. game — wild animals
  24. stand — for spectators

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