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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. pit — a hole
  3. net — for catching
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. object — an aim
  6. court — of law
  7. net — in sport
  8. object — to protest
  9. cell — a phone
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. pit — in a race
  15. court — for sport
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. pitch — completely
  18. court — of a king
  19. degree — from a university
  20. degree — an amount
  21. net — after costs
  22. degree — temperature
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. cell — in biology

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