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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. lean — to bend
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. degree — temperature
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. object — a thing
  7. ground — the earth
  8. deal — to handle
  9. degree — an amount
  10. pitch — completely
  11. degree — from a university
  12. object — an aim
  13. tear — to rip
  14. object — to protest
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. ground — crushed
  19. tear — from crying
  20. tear — from crying
  21. lean — thin
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. ground — a position

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