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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 116 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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. file — a tool
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. drill — the tool
  5. club — a group
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. saw — the tool
  9. club — for dancing
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. clip — for paper
  12. drill — a practice
  13. club — for golf
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. clip — to cut
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. file — a line of people
  18. kid — child
  19. kid — to tease
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. drill — army training
  22. clip — a video
  23. saw — the tool
  24. file — a document

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