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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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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. row — to paddle
  3. club — for dancing
  4. bat — the animal
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. club — for golf
  8. snap — to click
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. bank — for money
  11. bank — of a river
  12. club — a group
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. degree — from a university
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. row — a line
  22. degree — temperature
  23. bank — for money
  24. bat — for baseball

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