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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 120 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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. dip — to sink
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. season — in sport
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. present — there
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. present — the time now
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. ball — a dance
  13. ball — a great time
  14. drill — a practice
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. drill — the tool
  18. season — of the year
  19. capital — money
  20. present — a gift
  21. capital — a city
  22. drill — army training
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. racket — for tennis

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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