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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.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. spell — magic
  3. net — in sport
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. spell — letters
  7. pass — a permit
  8. net — for catching
  9. scale — in music
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. net — after costs
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. spell — a short time
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. branch — a division
  16. scale — size or range
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. pass — to succeed

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