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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. object — to protest
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. object — a thing
  7. wake — a trail
  8. squash — the sport
  9. track — a song
  10. shower — rain
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. track — a path
  14. track — to keep track
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. fall — the season
  17. shower — to wash
  18. object — an aim
  19. chip — to eat
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. fall — to drop
  22. fall — to drop
  23. chip — for betting
  24. squash — to crush

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