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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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. suit — in cards
  3. pitch — completely
  4. field — for sport
  5. degree — from a university
  6. court — for sport
  7. field — farmland
  8. suit — clothes
  9. court — of law
  10. net — after costs
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. rock — music
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. net — for catching
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. rock — a stone
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. court — of a king
  19. degree — temperature
  20. degree — an amount
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. suit — to fit
  23. field — a subject
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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