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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. hand — help
  3. pitch — completely
  4. fall — the season
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. degree — an amount
  8. kid — to tease
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. fall — to drop
  12. degree — from a university
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. board — to get on
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. board — a committee
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. kid — child
  19. hand — in cards
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. degree — temperature
  24. pass — a permit

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