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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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  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 — for tennis
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. snap — to click
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. drill — the tool
  6. ground — the earth
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. ground — a position
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. ground — crushed
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. prune — to trim
  17. bat — the animal
  18. prune — to trim
  19. drill — a practice
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. drill — army training
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. perch — the fish
  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