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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 116 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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. firm — a company
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. firm — steady
  5. file — a line of people
  6. firm — decided
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. squash — to crush
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. stand — to bear
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. file — a tool
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. file — a document
  16. mine — for digging
  17. squash — the sport
  18. squash — the vegetable

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