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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. press — to push
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. firm — steady
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. kid — child
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. mug — a face
  11. firm — decided
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. mug — a cup
  15. mug — to rob
  16. press — newspapers
  17. firm — a company
  18. wax — to grow
  19. kid — to tease
  20. perch — the fish
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. press — a publisher
  23. bat — the animal
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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