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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. drill — army training
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. ball — a dance
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. stock — goods
  12. degree — an amount
  13. degree — from a university
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. drill — a practice
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. degree — temperature
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. stock — shares
  20. ball — a great time
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. drill — the tool
  24. racket — a loud noise

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