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

Word bank: racket · degree · bat · club · bear · patient

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. bear — the animal
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. club — for dancing
  7. bear — the animal
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. degree — from a university
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. degree — an amount
  13. club — for golf
  14. degree — temperature
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. club — a group

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