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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. pit — a hole
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. kid — to tease
  5. pit — in a race
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. kid — child
  8. fine — all right
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. can — to be able to
  11. degree — an amount
  12. cell — in biology
  13. cell — a phone
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. degree — from a university
  16. can — a tin
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. mate — to breed
  19. mate — a partner
  20. degree — temperature
  21. fine — high quality
  22. mate — a friend
  23. can — a tin
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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