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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. cap — a lid
  3. bear — the animal
  4. net — for catching
  5. foot — a measure
  6. net — after costs
  7. cap — a hat
  8. fine — all right
  9. fine — high quality
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. net — in sport
  13. prune — to trim
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. prune — to trim
  16. cap — of ice
  17. bear — the animal
  18. row — to paddle
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. row — a line
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. bear — to put up with

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