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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 · key · field · chair · degree · wave · shower · bear

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. pitch — completely
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. degree — from a university
  5. key — for a lock
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. degree — an amount
  9. key — the most important part
  10. key — in music
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. field — a subject
  14. bear — the animal
  15. chair — a leader
  16. degree — temperature
  17. shower — rain
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. shower — to wash
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. field — farmland
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. field — for sport

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