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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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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: fall · bear · ground · safe · racket · degree

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. bear — the animal
  3. fall — to drop
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. ground — crushed
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. fall — to drop
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. degree — temperature
  10. bear — the animal
  11. fall — the season
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. ground — the earth
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. degree — from a university
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. degree — an amount

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