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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: foot · row · bat · cue · degree · mate · ball · ground

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. mate — a friend
  4. degree — an amount
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. ball — a great time
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. cue — a hint
  11. bat — the animal
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. degree — from a university
  14. cue — a signal
  15. mate — to breed
  16. mate — a partner
  17. ground — crushed
  18. row — to paddle
  19. cue — for pool
  20. ground — the earth
  21. ball — a dance
  22. foot — a measure
  23. ground — a position
  24. degree — temperature

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