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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: season · present · degree · wave · racket · foot · rock · hand

  1. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. season — of the year
  3. hand — in cards
  4. degree — temperature
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. rock — music
  9. foot — a measure
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. rock — a stone
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. present — there
  17. hand — help
  18. present — a gift
  19. degree — from a university
  20. present — the time now
  21. degree — an amount
  22. season — in sport
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. wave — with your hand

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