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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: chest · degree · wound · racket · lie · ball · mouse · bulb

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. ball — a dance
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. chest — of your body
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. chest — a box
  10. degree — temperature
  11. chest — of your body
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. degree — from a university
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. ball — a great time
  16. bulb — for light
  17. wound — an injury
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. lie — to recline
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. bulb — for light
  22. degree — an amount
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. wound — an injury

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