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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: date · bay · fall · racket · degree · mug

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. mug — to rob
  3. degree — temperature
  4. fall — to drop
  5. degree — an amount
  6. fall — to drop
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. mug — a face
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. degree — from a university
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. mug — a cup
  14. date — the fruit
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. fall — the season
  18. bay — a part of the sea

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