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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: stick · net · racket · race · cap · present · degree · wound

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. present — a gift
  4. degree — an amount
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. present — the time now
  7. cap — of ice
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. wound — an injury
  10. net — in sport
  11. present — there
  12. degree — from a university
  13. net — after costs
  14. degree — temperature
  15. wound — an injury
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. net — for catching
  18. cap — a lid
  19. race — a contest
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. race — humankind
  22. race — the arms race
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. racket — a loud noise

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