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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. cue — for pool
  4. net — in sport
  5. degree — from a university
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. cue — a signal
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. degree — an amount
  12. vault — a safe
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. wind — moving air
  15. degree — temperature
  16. net — for catching
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. cue — a hint
  22. wind — moving air
  23. net — after costs
  24. dip — to sink

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