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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 · file · stem · club · pitcher · chip · mouse · degree

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. degree — an amount
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. file — a line of people
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. file — a tool
  11. club — for dancing
  12. degree — temperature
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. chip — for betting
  17. file — a document
  18. club — a group
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. degree — from a university
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. chip — to eat
  23. stem — to come from
  24. pitcher — a jug

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