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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 120 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 · hide · degree · drill · season · cue · chair · bank

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. bank — of a river
  3. degree — an amount
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. degree — from a university
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. drill — the tool
  8. drill — a practice
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. degree — temperature
  11. bank — for money
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. cue — a signal
  16. cue — for pool
  17. bank — for money
  18. cue — a hint
  19. season — in sport
  20. season — of the year
  21. chair — a leader
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. drill — army training

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