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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 bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. chest — of your body
  5. shower — to wash
  6. degree — from a university
  7. pitch — completely
  8. mark — a trace
  9. degree — temperature
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. mark — a grade
  13. fall — to drop
  14. degree — an amount
  15. board — to get on
  16. fall — the season
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. chest — a box
  20. fall — to drop
  21. chest — of your body
  22. shower — rain
  23. board — a committee
  24. board — a flat piece

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