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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: swing · hide · ruler · degree · nail · racket · chip · chest

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. degree — an amount
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. chest — a box
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. swing — music
  8. degree — from a university
  9. degree — temperature
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. chip — for betting
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. chest — of your body
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. chip — to eat
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. swing — in golf
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. chest — of your body
  24. swing — to play on

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