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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. pitch — completely
  3. degree — from a university
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. pit — a hole
  6. roll — a cake
  7. last — to go on
  8. race — humankind
  9. race — the arms race
  10. race — a contest
  11. object — a thing
  12. object — to protest
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. pit — in a race
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. last — final
  17. degree — temperature
  18. suit — to fit
  19. last — finally
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. suit — in cards
  22. suit — clothes
  23. roll — a list
  24. object — an aim

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