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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: pitch · file · chest · lie · bear · suit · degree · game

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. suit — in cards
  3. bear — the animal
  4. suit — clothes
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. degree — from a university
  7. bear — the animal
  8. pitch — completely
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. file — a document
  11. degree — temperature
  12. suit — to fit
  13. lie — to recline
  14. game — wild animals
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. degree — an amount
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. file — a tool
  19. file — a line of people
  20. chest — of your body
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. chest — a box
  23. chest — of your body
  24. game — a match

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