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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: field · net · ball · sharp · shower · leaves · racket · degree

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. field — farmland
  3. degree — an amount
  4. degree — temperature
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. ball — a great time
  7. field — for sport
  8. ball — a dance
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. shower — rain
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. net — in sport
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. field — a subject
  20. net — for catching
  21. degree — from a university
  22. shower — to wash
  23. net — after costs
  24. sharp — clever

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