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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 116 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: bound · spring · kick · degree · pop · chip · racket · fan

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. degree — temperature
  3. degree — from a university
  4. chip — to eat
  5. spring — a coil
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. bound — certain
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. pop — music
  11. degree — an amount
  12. spring — the season
  13. spring — of water
  14. chip — for betting
  15. pop — soda
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. bound — obliged
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. pop — to visit
  23. kick — in football
  24. bound — tied together

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