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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. degree — temperature
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. bat — the animal
  11. court — of a king
  12. pitch — completely
  13. court — of law
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. spring — of water
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. spring — a coil
  19. degree — an amount
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. spring — the season
  22. degree — from a university
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. wave — with your hand

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