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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. cell — in biology
  5. rest — what's left
  6. hand — in cards
  7. pound — a weight
  8. cell — a phone
  9. toast — bread
  10. degree — temperature
  11. rule — a law
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. rest — what's left
  15. degree — an amount
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. hand — help
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. rule — government
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. rest — a break
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. degree — from a university

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