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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. ball — a great time
  5. ball — a dance
  6. last — final
  7. scale — size or range
  8. wound — an injury
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. date — the fruit
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. present — a gift
  16. wound — an injury
  17. present — the time now
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. last — finally
  21. last — to go on
  22. scale — in music
  23. present — there
  24. date — on the calendar

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