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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: track · saw · staff · fine · degree · hand · bulb · racket

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. hand — help
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. track — a song
  6. saw — the tool
  7. track — a path
  8. bulb — for light
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. staff — employees
  12. hand — in cards
  13. degree — from a university
  14. degree — temperature
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. degree — an amount
  17. bulb — for light
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. staff — employees
  20. saw — the tool
  21. fine — all right
  22. fine — high quality
  23. track — to keep track
  24. staff — a stick

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