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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 players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. degree — temperature
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. net — in sport
  10. net — for catching
  11. land — ground
  12. pitch — completely
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. land — to come down
  19. degree — an amount
  20. degree — from a university
  21. wound — an injury
  22. land — a country
  23. pound — a weight
  24. net — after costs

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