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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. bass — the fish
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. spell — magic
  6. degree — from a university
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. spell — a short time
  11. degree — an amount
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. spell — letters
  15. pitch — completely
  16. degree — temperature
  17. pound — a weight
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. bass — low music
  22. branch — a division
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. pitch — a sports field

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