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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. bulb — for light
  5. capital — a city
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. capital — money
  9. degree — from a university
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. degree — temperature
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. degree — an amount
  15. pound — a weight
  16. bulb — for light
  17. kid — to tease
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. kid — child
  22. plane — a tool
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. nail — on a finger

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