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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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468
Word bank
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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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. degree — from a university
  6. degree — temperature
  7. degree — an amount
  8. swing — to play on
  9. pitch — completely
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. file — a tool
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. chip — for betting
  16. file — a line of people
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. swing — music
  21. chip — to eat
  22. swing — in golf
  23. file — a document
  24. racket — a loud noise

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