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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. bass — the fish
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. tube — a container
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. tube — the underground
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. mine — for digging
  15. kick — in football
  16. prune — to trim
  17. prune — to trim
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. bass — low music
  24. bass — the instrument

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