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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 players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. dip — to sink
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. bass — low music
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. file — a line of people
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. pitch — completely
  9. cell — a phone
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. degree — an amount
  12. degree — temperature
  13. file — a tool
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. cell — in biology
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. bass — the fish
  21. degree — from a university
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. file — a document
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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