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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. net — in sport
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. swing — in golf
  5. ground — crushed
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. net — for catching
  8. degree — temperature
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. staff — employees
  15. ground — a position
  16. swing — music
  17. swing — to play on
  18. ground — the earth
  19. staff — a stick
  20. band — a music group
  21. degree — from a university
  22. degree — an amount
  23. net — after costs
  24. band — a ring

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