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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 room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. degree — from a university
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. mine — for digging
  6. can — a tin
  7. tube — the underground
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. tube — a container
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. degree — an amount
  13. season — of the year
  14. can — a tin
  15. can — to be able to
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. degree — temperature
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. season — in sport
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. nail — for a hammer

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