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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. degree — an amount
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. stand — to bear
  7. mate — a partner
  8. mark — a grade
  9. rush — hurry
  10. mate — to breed
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. net — in sport
  14. net — after costs
  15. degree — from a university
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. degree — temperature
  18. net — for catching
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. mark — a trace
  21. mate — a friend
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. fine — all right
  24. rush — a thrill

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