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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. net — after costs
  3. suit — clothes
  4. swing — to play on
  5. suit — to fit
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. net — for catching
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. suit — in cards
  11. court — for sport
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. swing — in golf
  14. court — of law
  15. net — in sport
  16. court — of a king
  17. branch — a division
  18. swing — music
  19. wound — an injury
  20. wound — an injury
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. deal — to handle
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. branch — of a bank

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