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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. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. degree — temperature
  3. field — for sport
  4. court — for sport
  5. root — the cause
  6. field — a subject
  7. content — the amount
  8. deal — to handle
  9. field — farmland
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. court — of a king
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. content — happy
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. degree — an amount
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. pass — a permit
  20. root — of a word
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. root — of a plant
  23. degree — from a university
  24. court — of law

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