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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 120 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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  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. rule — a law
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. pit — a hole
  4. drill — the tool
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. lean — thin
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. pit — in a race
  10. lean — to bend
  11. drill — army training
  12. staff — a stick
  13. degree — an amount
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. bat — the animal
  16. drill — a practice
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. staff — employees
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. staff — employees
  21. rule — government
  22. degree — temperature
  23. degree — from a university
  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