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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.

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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: racket · degree · rash · ground · can · spell · club · stand

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. degree — temperature
  3. can — a tin
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. ground — the earth
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. club — for dancing
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. rash — hasty
  11. spell — a short time
  12. rash — a series
  13. can — to be able to
  14. can — a tin
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. stand — to bear
  17. spell — letters
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. degree — an amount
  20. ground — a position
  21. club — for golf
  22. spell — magic
  23. ground — crushed
  24. club — a group

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