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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: lean · bulb · race · board · degree · jam · last · pitch

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. lean — to bend
  3. board — a committee
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. last — to go on
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. last — finally
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. degree — temperature
  10. degree — an amount
  11. degree — from a university
  12. bulb — for light
  13. race — the arms race
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. last — final
  16. pitch — completely
  17. bulb — for light
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. race — a contest
  20. board — to get on
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. race — humankind
  23. lean — thin
  24. jam — a tight spot

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