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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 120 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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Word bank
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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. can — a tin
  3. row — to paddle
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. degree — from a university
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. ball — a dance
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. game — wild animals
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. can — a tin
  14. row — a line
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. can — to be able to
  18. stem — to come from
  19. ball — a great time
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. degree — temperature
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. degree — an amount

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