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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. degree — from a university
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. staff — employees
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. lie — to recline
  9. hand — in cards
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. degree — temperature
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. bound — certain
  15. staff — employees
  16. sharp — clever
  17. staff — a stick
  18. bound — obliged
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. bound — tied together
  21. hand — help
  22. degree — an amount
  23. fine — high quality
  24. fine — all right

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