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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: racket · plane · object · field · pitch · march · degree · lash

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. march — the month
  3. plane — a tool
  4. degree — an amount
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. degree — from a university
  7. degree — temperature
  8. pitch — completely
  9. march — music
  10. field — farmland
  11. field — for sport
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. object — to protest
  14. object — a thing
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. field — a subject
  18. march — the month
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. object — an aim
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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