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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. swing — to play on
  3. staff — employees
  4. drill — army training
  5. scale — in music
  6. suit — to fit
  7. ball — a dance
  8. drill — the tool
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. swing — in golf
  12. scale — size or range
  13. suit — clothes
  14. staff — employees
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. swing — music
  18. suit — in cards
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. staff — a stick
  21. drill — a practice
  22. ball — a great time
  23. bat — the animal
  24. racket — for tennis

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