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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. pitch — completely
  4. kid — to tease
  5. object — to protest
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. object — an aim
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. object — a thing
  10. spell — letters
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. rock — music
  14. rock — a stone
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. spell — magic
  18. kid — child
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. band — a music group
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. spell — a short time
  24. band — a ring

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