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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: racket · degree · date · squash · stand · fine · swing · cell

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. squash — the sport
  3. degree — from a university
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. stand — to bear
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. swing — in golf
  10. squash — to crush
  11. swing — to play on
  12. fine — all right
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. degree — an amount
  15. cell — a phone
  16. fine — high quality
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. date — the fruit
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. swing — music
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. degree — temperature

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