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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. pound — a weight
  4. ground — a position
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. degree — temperature
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. mug — to rob
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. degree — from a university
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. board — to get on
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. ground — the earth
  20. mug — a cup
  21. board — a committee
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. ground — crushed
  24. degree — an amount

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