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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. net — after costs
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. fine — high quality
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. fine — all right
  9. scale — in music
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. lean — thin
  12. net — in sport
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. fork — in a road
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. net — for catching
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. scale — size or range
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. lean — to bend

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