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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. kid — to tease
  3. degree — from a university
  4. can — a tin
  5. fine — high quality
  6. degree — an amount
  7. present — a gift
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. kid — child
  10. wound — an injury
  11. degree — temperature
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. wound — an injury
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. club — for dancing
  18. can — to be able to
  19. fine — all right
  20. present — there
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. can — a tin
  23. club — a group
  24. club — for golf

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