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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. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. degree — from a university
  4. charge — a price
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. degree — an amount
  9. charge — electricity
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. tear — from crying
  12. charge — in control
  13. game — a match
  14. pitch — completely
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. degree — temperature
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. tear — to rip
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. tear — from crying
  24. game — wild animals

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