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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. wind — moving air
  4. pound — a weight
  5. bear — the animal
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. chip — for betting
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. stem — to come from
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. chip — to eat
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. bear — the animal
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. wind — moving air

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