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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. shower — to wash
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. mug — a cup
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. degree — an amount
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. staff — a stick
  12. staff — employees
  13. shower — rain
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. staff — employees
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. mug — to rob
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. degree — temperature
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. mug — a face

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