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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 116 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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. cap — a hat
  5. pop — to visit
  6. board — to get on
  7. degree — an amount
  8. pop — music
  9. board — a committee
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. degree — temperature
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. cap — of ice
  14. swing — in golf
  15. swing — to play on
  16. fall — to drop
  17. pop — soda
  18. fall — to drop
  19. cap — a lid
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. swing — music
  22. pitch — completely
  23. fall — the season
  24. safe — out of danger

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