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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. wound — an injury
  3. degree — temperature
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. dip — to sink
  6. degree — an amount
  7. bass — the fish
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. bass — low music
  10. degree — from a university
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. pit — in a race
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. date — the fruit
  16. board — a committee
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. pit — a hole
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. board — to get on

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