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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. kid — to tease
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. firm — decided
  7. pitch — completely
  8. dip — to sink
  9. degree — temperature
  10. firm — steady
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. game — wild animals
  15. ground — a position
  16. kid — child
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. game — a match
  19. firm — a company
  20. degree — from a university
  21. ground — the earth
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. ground — crushed
  24. foot — a measure

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