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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
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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: tear · hand · racket · staff · deal · degree · net · squash

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. staff — a stick
  3. net — after costs
  4. degree — temperature
  5. squash — the sport
  6. net — in sport
  7. squash — to crush
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. degree — an amount
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. net — for catching
  13. tear — to rip
  14. staff — employees
  15. hand — help
  16. degree — from a university
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. tear — from crying
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. deal — to handle
  21. tear — from crying
  22. staff — employees
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. squash — the vegetable

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