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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. object — a thing
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. stand — to bear
  6. content — happy
  7. net — for catching
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. march — the month
  11. march — music
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. snap — to click
  14. net — after costs
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. object — to protest
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. content — the amount
  21. march — the month
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. net — in sport

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