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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. pit — in a race
  4. snap — to click
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pitch — completely
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. degree — temperature
  11. kick — in football
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. degree — from a university
  16. court — for sport
  17. court — of law
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. pit — a hole
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. court — of a king
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. degree — an amount

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