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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. scale — size or range
  5. firm — steady
  6. kid — to tease
  7. field — farmland
  8. firm — a company
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. field — for sport
  11. field — a subject
  12. firm — decided
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. press — to push
  16. kid — child
  17. press — newspapers
  18. scale — in music
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. staff — employees
  21. staff — employees
  22. press — a publisher
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. staff — a stick

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