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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 players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. spell — letters
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. squash — to crush
  7. kick — in football
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. degree — an amount
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. degree — temperature
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. bass — the fish
  15. squash — the sport
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. spell — a short time
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. degree — from a university
  21. bass — low music
  22. spell — magic
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. pitch — completely

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