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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. club — for golf
  4. track — to keep track
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. club — a group
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. track — a path
  12. kid — child
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. degree — an amount
  15. degree — from a university
  16. sharp — clever
  17. track — a song
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. club — for dancing
  20. degree — temperature
  21. kid — to tease
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. sharp — exactly

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