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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. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. degree — from a university
  3. tube — a container
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. kid — child
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. tube — the underground
  18. kid — to tease
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. degree — an amount
  21. stem — to come from
  22. wax — to grow
  23. dip — to sink
  24. degree — temperature

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