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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. track — a song
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. rush — hurry
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. degree — from a university
  7. object — a thing
  8. degree — temperature
  9. ground — a position
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. ground — the earth
  13. track — a path
  14. pitch — completely
  15. track — to keep track
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. object — to protest
  18. key — the most important part
  19. key — in music
  20. bulb — for light
  21. ground — crushed
  22. bulb — for light
  23. object — an aim
  24. key — for a lock

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