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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. firm — decided
  4. degree — temperature
  5. bass — the fish
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. firm — steady
  9. field — farmland
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. bass — low music
  13. field — a subject
  14. degree — from a university
  15. degree — an amount
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. field — for sport
  21. pitch — completely
  22. firm — a company
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. hide — to keep secret

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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