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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. bank — for money
  4. degree — temperature
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. bank — for money
  7. drill — army training
  8. bank — of a river
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. game — wild animals
  12. court — of law
  13. degree — an amount
  14. board — to get on
  15. drill — a practice
  16. pitch — completely
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. game — a match
  19. degree — from a university
  20. board — a committee
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. court — for sport
  23. drill — the tool
  24. court — of a king

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