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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 soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. drill — army training
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. face — to point toward
  5. face — to confront
  6. tube — the underground
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. squash — the sport
  11. degree — from a university
  12. degree — temperature
  13. face — part of the head
  14. squash — to crush
  15. board — a committee
  16. wax — to grow
  17. tube — a container
  18. drill — a practice
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. board — to get on
  22. drill — the tool
  23. degree — an amount
  24. squash — the vegetable

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