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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. firm — a company
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. pitch — completely
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. firm — steady
  8. tear — from crying
  9. tear — to rip
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. saw — the tool
  12. pound — a weight
  13. saw — the tool
  14. roll — a list
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. degree — from a university
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. firm — decided
  20. degree — temperature
  21. stem — to come from
  22. roll — a cake
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. tear — from crying

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