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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. pitch — completely
  3. prune — to trim
  4. key — the most important part
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. cold — an illness
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. key — in music
  12. rock — a stone
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. degree — an amount
  20. key — for a lock
  21. prune — to trim
  22. cold — not warm
  23. rock — music
  24. degree — from a university

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