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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. pitch — completely
  3. field — a subject
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. wound — an injury
  7. chip — for betting
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. degree — from a university
  10. degree — temperature
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. field — for sport
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. degree — an amount
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. field — farmland
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. bark — to shout
  24. chip — to eat

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