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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 116 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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. degree — an amount
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. rest — what's left
  8. degree — temperature
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. net — for catching
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. rest — a break
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. net — in sport
  16. net — after costs
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. rest — what's left

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