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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 haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. pit — a hole
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. degree — an amount
  8. pit — in a race
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. key — for a lock
  11. key — the most important part
  12. degree — from a university
  13. snap — to click
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. band — a music group
  17. vault — a safe
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. key — in music
  20. pitch — completely
  21. degree — temperature
  22. band — a ring
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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