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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. bass — low music
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. perch — the fish
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. wind — moving air
  15. bass — the fish
  16. wind — moving air
  17. cap — of ice
  18. cap — a hat
  19. cap — a lid
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. dip — to sink
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. wake — a trail

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