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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. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. suit — clothes
  3. craft — a skill
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. degree — from a university
  6. pitch — completely
  7. kick — in football
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. suit — to fit
  10. cold — an illness
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. craft — boats
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. cold — not warm
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. suit — in cards
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. degree — an amount
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. bear — the animal
  23. degree — temperature
  24. bear — the animal

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