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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. present — there
  9. present — the time now
  10. court — of a king
  11. court — of law
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. sharp — clever
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. court — for 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