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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. net — after costs
  6. squash — the sport
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. club — for golf
  11. net — for catching
  12. degree — an amount
  13. chip — to eat
  14. net — in sport
  15. degree — temperature
  16. chip — for betting
  17. club — a group
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. degree — from a university
  20. pitch — completely
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. club — for dancing
  24. squash — to crush

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