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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. net — after costs
  5. rule — a law
  6. bank — for money
  7. bass — low music
  8. bank — for money
  9. net — for catching
  10. degree — from a university
  11. bass — the fish
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. bank — of a river
  15. chair — a leader
  16. wake — a trail
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. degree — an amount
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. net — in sport
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. rule — government

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