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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 120 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. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. present — a gift
  4. object — to protest
  5. bank — for money
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. object — an aim
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. rest — a break
  10. object — a thing
  11. rest — what's left
  12. bank — of a river
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. row — to paddle
  17. rest — what's left
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. present — the time now
  20. bank — for money
  21. stand — to bear
  22. row — a line
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. present — there

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