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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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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: ball · pitcher · stand · fan · current · straw · racket · degree

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. current — of water
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. stand — to bear
  12. degree — temperature
  13. degree — from a university
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. current — happening now
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. degree — an amount
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. ball — a dance
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. current — electric
  24. racket — for tennis

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