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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.

Make a worksheet

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: racket · degree · kick · tear · bass · track · can · sharp

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. tear — to rip
  3. can — a tin
  4. track — a song
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. can — to be able to
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. degree — an amount
  10. kick — in football
  11. track — to keep track
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. degree — temperature
  15. can — a tin
  16. track — a path
  17. sharp — clever
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. bass — the fish
  21. tear — from crying
  22. tear — from crying
  23. degree — from a university
  24. racket — a loud noise

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