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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. march — music
  4. branch — a division
  5. deal — to handle
  6. march — the month
  7. shower — to wash
  8. shower — rain
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. can — to be able to
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. hand — help
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. march — the month
  20. can — a tin
  21. can — a tin
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. dip — to sink
  24. hand — in cards

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