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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. That was a fun ________________.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. game — a match
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. branch — a division
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. scale — size or range
  9. hand — in cards
  10. last — to go on
  11. fork — in a road
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. hand — help
  14. last — finally
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. last — final
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. game — wild animals
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. scale — in music
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. racket — for tennis

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