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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: lash · racket · saw · ground · date · stand · degree · pitcher

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. stand — to bear
  6. degree — temperature
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. date — the fruit
  10. ground — the earth
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. degree — from a university
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. saw — the tool
  17. saw — the tool
  18. ground — crushed
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. ground — a position
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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