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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. degree — temperature
  3. bound — certain
  4. chest — of your body
  5. degree — an amount
  6. bound — obliged
  7. bound — tied together
  8. degree — from a university
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. race — the arms race
  11. pitch — completely
  12. cue — a hint
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. ball — a great time
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. race — humankind
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. race — a contest
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. cue — for pool
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. chest — a box
  23. cue — a signal
  24. chest — of your body

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