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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. track — to keep track
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. kid — to tease
  5. season — of the year
  6. degree — temperature
  7. bulb — for light
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. bulb — for light
  10. season — in sport
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. degree — an amount
  13. track — a song
  14. track — a path
  15. kid — child
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. pitch — completely
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. degree — from a university
  24. pass — a permit

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