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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. degree — temperature
  5. chest — of your body
  6. face — to confront
  7. pitch — completely
  8. ball — a great time
  9. season — of the year
  10. degree — from a university
  11. deal — to handle
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. ball — a dance
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. season — in sport
  16. degree — an amount
  17. face — part of the head
  18. face — to point toward
  19. mate — to breed
  20. chest — of your body
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. chest — a box
  23. mate — a friend
  24. mate — a partner

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