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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: degree · pitch · bound · squash · deal · ball · racket · file

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. file — a tool
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. file — a line of people
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. degree — an amount
  8. ball — a great time
  9. degree — temperature
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. bound — certain
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. bound — tied together
  14. squash — the sport
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. ball — a dance
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. squash — to crush
  19. pitch — completely
  20. file — a document
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. degree — from a university
  23. bound — obliged
  24. deal — to handle

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