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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  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. racket — for tennis
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. degree — from a university
  9. degree — an amount
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. mark — a grade
  12. mark — a trace
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. staff — employees
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. wax — to grow
  20. staff — a stick
  21. degree — temperature
  22. staff — employees
  23. racket — for tennis
  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