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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. bank — of a river
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. spell — letters
  6. pitch — completely
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. degree — temperature
  9. band — a ring
  10. degree — from a university
  11. spell — a short time
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. band — a music group
  14. lean — to bend
  15. spell — magic
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. mug — a face
  18. bank — for money
  19. bank — for money
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. mug — a cup
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. lean — thin
  24. mug — to rob

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