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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. cap — a hat
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. mark — a trace
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. cap — of ice
  9. mark — a grade
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. ball — a great time
  15. saw — the tool
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. stem — to come from
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. ball — a dance
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. cap — a lid
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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