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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. craft — boats
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. spring — of water
  8. track — a song
  9. spring — a coil
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. clip — a video
  13. lean — thin
  14. track — a path
  15. clip — to cut
  16. clip — for paper
  17. lean — to bend
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. craft — a skill
  21. spring — the season
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. track — to keep track

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