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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 hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. degree — an amount
  3. degree — temperature
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. stock — shares
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. stock — goods
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. mine — for digging
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. cue — a hint
  13. band — a ring
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. band — a music group
  16. cue — for pool
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. degree — from a university
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. prune — to trim
  23. cue — a signal
  24. prune — to trim

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