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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 116 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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. season — in sport
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. face — to confront
  9. firm — decided
  10. scale — size or range
  11. bear — the animal
  12. face — part of the head
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. row — to paddle
  15. row — a line
  16. season — of the year
  17. firm — steady
  18. bear — the animal
  19. scale — in music
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. wound — an injury
  22. face — to point toward
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. wound — an injury

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