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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 116 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 room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. degree — from a university
  3. content — the amount
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. content — happy
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. snap — to click
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. board — a committee
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. degree — an amount
  17. degree — temperature
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. board — to get on
  24. ruler — for measuring

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