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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 116 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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. drill — a practice
  3. mug — a face
  4. content — the amount
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. mug — to rob
  7. drill — the tool
  8. degree — from a university
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. suit — to fit
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. degree — an amount
  13. mug — a cup
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. degree — temperature
  16. sharp — clever
  17. suit — in cards
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. suit — clothes
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. drill — army training
  24. content — happy

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