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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. toast — bread
  4. roll — a cake
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. shower — to wash
  7. firm — decided
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. firm — steady
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. bound — certain
  14. roll — a list
  15. season — in sport
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. season — of the year
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. bound — obliged
  21. bound — tied together
  22. shower — rain
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. racket — a loud noise

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