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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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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. ball — a dance
  3. rock — music
  4. degree — from a university
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. rock — a stone
  7. degree — temperature
  8. rest — what's left
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. mug — a face
  11. mug — to rob
  12. rest — what's left
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. ball — a great time
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. band — a ring
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. bat — the animal
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. degree — an amount
  22. rest — a break
  23. mug — a cup
  24. ball — a round shape

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