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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 120 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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. pitch — completely
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. stand — to bear
  7. bound — tied together
  8. rash — a series
  9. bound — obliged
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. rash — hasty
  12. degree — from a university
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. band — a music group
  16. degree — an amount
  17. band — a ring
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. bound — certain

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