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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. degree — temperature
  3. pit — in a race
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. content — happy
  8. pitch — completely
  9. cell — a phone
  10. deal — to handle
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. pit — a hole
  15. key — for a lock
  16. degree — an amount
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. degree — from a university
  19. key — the most important part
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. hand — help
  22. cell — in biology
  23. hand — in cards
  24. content — the amount

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