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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. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. face — to point toward
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. vault — a safe
  10. degree — an amount
  11. face — to confront
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. degree — from a university
  16. face — part of the head
  17. degree — temperature
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. shower — rain
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. shower — to wash
  24. racket — for tennis

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