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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. degree — from a university
  4. pitch — completely
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. rule — government
  8. ground — the earth
  9. degree — an amount
  10. degree — temperature
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. ground — a position
  16. ground — crushed
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. wax — to grow
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. rule — a law
  24. dip — to sink

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