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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. capital — money
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. spring — the season
  12. snap — to click
  13. land — to come down
  14. land — a country
  15. plane — a tool
  16. pit — in a race
  17. land — ground
  18. spring — a coil
  19. capital — a city
  20. spring — of water
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. pit — a hole
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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