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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 · ball · bore · kid · degree · club · chair · fine

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. chair — a leader
  3. club — for golf
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. ball — a great time
  6. degree — temperature
  7. ball — a dance
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. club — a group
  11. fine — high quality
  12. club — for dancing
  13. kid — child
  14. fine — all right
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. bore — to drill
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. degree — from a university
  20. kid — to tease
  21. bore — to tire
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. degree — an amount
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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