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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  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. degree — an amount
  2. degree — from a university
  3. mug — a face
  4. ground — a position
  5. ground — the earth
  6. rock — music
  7. roll — a list
  8. mate — a partner
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. mug — to rob
  12. mate — a friend
  13. ground — crushed
  14. mate — to breed
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. rock — a stone
  19. mug — a cup
  20. degree — temperature
  21. roll — a cake
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. rock — to move gently
  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