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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. cell — a phone
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. net — for catching
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. net — after costs
  8. tear — to rip
  9. scale — in music
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. drill — the tool
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. pitch — completely
  15. kick — in football
  16. tear — from crying
  17. cell — in biology
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. scale — size or range
  20. drill — a practice
  21. tear — from crying
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. net — in sport

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