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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. object — a thing
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. degree — temperature
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. degree — an amount
  11. field — a subject
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. degree — from a university
  14. bat — the animal
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. object — to protest
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. field — farmland
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. field — for sport
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. object — an aim
  24. plane — a tool

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