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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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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 · net · current · hand · degree · last · face · lie

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. degree — temperature
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. last — to go on
  5. net — for catching
  6. last — final
  7. lie — to recline
  8. net — after costs
  9. degree — an amount
  10. degree — from a university
  11. net — in sport
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. face — part of the head
  14. face — to point toward
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. last — finally
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. current — of water
  19. hand — help
  20. current — electric
  21. current — happening now
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. hand — in cards
  24. face — to confront

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