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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 116 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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. march — music
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. march — the month
  7. pound — a weight
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. pitch — completely
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. stand — to bear
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. hand — in cards
  16. hand — help
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. march — the month
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. bat — the animal
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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