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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. cue — for pool
  3. face — part of the head
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. face — to point toward
  6. degree — temperature
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. face — to confront
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. degree — an amount
  11. present — the time now
  12. present — a gift
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. cue — a hint
  15. present — there
  16. cue — a signal
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. capital — a city
  20. degree — from a university
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. kid — to tease
  23. pitch — completely
  24. capital — money

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