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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. ground — a position
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. tube — a container
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. plane — a tool
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. ground — the earth
  14. mark — a grade
  15. degree — temperature
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. degree — from a university
  19. ground — crushed
  20. pitch — completely
  21. tube — the underground
  22. mark — a trace
  23. degree — an amount
  24. bat — the animal

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