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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. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. degree — temperature
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. ground — crushed
  5. stand — to bear
  6. kick — in football
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. degree — an amount
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. ground — a position
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. branch — a division
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. ground — the earth
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. degree — from a university

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