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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. mark — a grade
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. mark — a trace
  8. mate — to breed
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. spell — letters
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. mate — a friend
  14. bound — obliged
  15. bound — tied together
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. spell — magic
  20. spell — a short time
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. bound — certain
  23. mate — a partner
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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