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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: capital · degree · key · court · lash · bound · racket · bat

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. bound — certain
  3. bound — tied together
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. degree — from a university
  7. key — in music
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. key — the most important part
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. bound — obliged
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. capital — money
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. capital — a city
  17. degree — temperature
  18. court — of a king
  19. bat — the animal
  20. degree — an amount
  21. court — for sport
  22. court — of law
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. key — for a lock

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