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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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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. chest — of your body
  5. firm — steady
  6. lean — to bend
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. chest — a box
  9. firm — decided
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. lean — thin
  13. chest — of your body
  14. date — the fruit
  15. face — part of the head
  16. face — to confront
  17. firm — a company
  18. face — to point toward

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