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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. bear — the animal
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. last — final
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. last — to go on
  15. chair — a leader
  16. bore — to drill
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. last — finally
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. bore — to tire
  24. bear — the animal

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