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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. net — in sport
  4. degree — from a university
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. land — to come down
  9. degree — temperature
  10. land — ground
  11. club — for dancing
  12. land — a country
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. club — for golf
  16. net — after costs
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. toast — bread
  22. net — for catching
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. club — a group

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