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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 120 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: ball · object · racket · fan · degree · spell · key · pitch

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. spell — a short time
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. object — to protest
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. ball — a dance
  7. key — in music
  8. degree — an amount
  9. spell — letters
  10. key — the most important part
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. degree — from a university
  14. degree — temperature
  15. object — a thing
  16. spell — magic
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. pitch — completely
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. object — an aim
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. key — for a lock
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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