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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. cold — not warm
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. degree — an amount
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. club — for dancing
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. degree — temperature
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. scale — size or range
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. club — a group
  14. firm — a company
  15. tube — a container
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. club — for golf
  18. firm — steady
  19. degree — from a university
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. tube — the underground
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. firm — decided
  24. scale — in music

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