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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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 the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. degree — from a university
  3. fall — to drop
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. pitch — completely
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. clip — to cut
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. ball — a great time
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. degree — temperature
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. ball — a dance
  17. fork — in a road
  18. fall — to drop
  19. clip — for paper
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. clip — a video
  23. degree — an amount
  24. racket — a loud noise

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