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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 124 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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. swing — to play on
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. degree — an amount
  7. degree — temperature
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. kid — to tease
  11. kid — child
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. date — the fruit
  15. lean — to bend
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. swing — music
  18. lean — thin
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. degree — from a university
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. swing — in golf
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. fan — a supporter

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