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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 116 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: pound · bulb · degree · net · trunk · race · chip · racket

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. race — the arms race
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. degree — temperature
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. pound — a weight
  10. net — after costs
  11. race — humankind
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. chip — for betting
  14. net — in sport
  15. race — a contest
  16. net — for catching
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. bulb — for light
  19. degree — an amount
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. degree — from a university
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. bulb — for light
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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