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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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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: pit · racket · race · bear · net · degree · saw · foot

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. race — humankind
  4. degree — from a university
  5. net — after costs
  6. net — for catching
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. bear — the animal
  9. degree — temperature
  10. saw — the tool
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. race — the arms race
  15. foot — a measure
  16. bear — the animal
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. degree — an amount
  19. pit — in a race
  20. race — a contest
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. net — in sport
  23. saw — the tool
  24. bear — to put up with

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