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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 polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. degree — from a university
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. face — to confront
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. hand — in cards
  8. pitch — completely
  9. degree — temperature
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. face — to point toward
  12. hand — help
  13. degree — an amount
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. cap — a hat
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. face — part of the head
  22. cap — a lid
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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