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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. fall — the season
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. capital — money
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. fall — to drop
  9. bore — to tire
  10. degree — from a university
  11. capital — a city
  12. pound — a weight
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. hand — help
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. bore — to drill
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. pitch — completely
  20. degree — an amount
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. hand — in cards
  23. fall — to drop
  24. degree — temperature

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