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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 124 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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. degree — temperature
  3. bat — the animal
  4. content — the amount
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. degree — an amount
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. content — happy
  11. tear — from crying
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. rule — a law
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. tear — to rip
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. tear — from crying
  18. pitch — completely
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. rule — government
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. degree — from a university
  24. bat — for baseball

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