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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. rock — music
  3. drill — a practice
  4. wind — moving air
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. wind — moving air
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. rock — a stone
  9. scale — in music
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. pit — in a race
  13. drill — the tool
  14. lean — thin
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. lean — to bend
  19. drill — army training
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. pit — a hole
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. scale — size or range
  24. wind — to turn a key

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