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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 room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. fall — to drop
  5. mug — a face
  6. degree — from a university
  7. rush — hurry
  8. season — of the year
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. fall — the season
  11. content — the amount
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. content — happy
  16. season — in sport
  17. mug — to rob
  18. degree — temperature
  19. net — after costs
  20. net — for catching
  21. net — in sport
  22. degree — an amount
  23. mug — a cup
  24. fall — to drop

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