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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 116 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 was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. net — in sport
  3. cell — in biology
  4. degree — from a university
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. degree — temperature
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. rest — what's left
  9. cell — a phone
  10. net — for catching
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. degree — an amount
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. mine — for digging
  20. rest — a break
  21. net — after costs
  22. rest — what's left
  23. pound — a weight
  24. racket — a loud noise

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