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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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. board — a committee
  4. degree — temperature
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. board — to get on
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. wake — a trail
  15. hand — help
  16. hand — in cards
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. tube — the underground
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. degree — from a university
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. degree — an amount
  24. tube — a container

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