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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. net — in sport
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. net — for catching
  5. net — after costs
  6. firm — steady
  7. scale — in music
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. drill — army training
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. drill — the tool
  12. saw — the tool
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. saw — the tool
  15. court — of a king
  16. court — of law
  17. dip — to sink
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. court — for sport
  20. firm — decided
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. drill — a practice
  23. firm — a company
  24. scale — size or range

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