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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. mine — for digging
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. scale — in music
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. bat — the animal
  12. suit — to fit
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. scale — size or range
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. suit — clothes
  18. hide — to keep secret

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