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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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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. bank — for money
  3. bank — for money
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. tube — the underground
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. firm — decided
  8. rash — a series
  9. hand — in cards
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. hand — help
  12. degree — temperature
  13. degree — an amount
  14. bank — of a river
  15. degree — from a university
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. firm — steady
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. firm — a company
  20. tube — a container
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. rash — hasty

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