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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: game · mouse · degree · chest · pitch · mark · wound · key

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. wound — an injury
  3. chest — a box
  4. game — wild animals
  5. wound — an injury
  6. key — the most important part
  7. chest — of your body
  8. degree — from a university
  9. key — for a lock
  10. chest — of your body
  11. mark — a grade
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. key — in music
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. degree — an amount
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. pitch — completely
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. degree — temperature
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. mark — a trace
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. mark — to pay attention

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