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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. shower — rain
  3. mine — for digging
  4. bank — for money
  5. track — a song
  6. perch — the fish
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. bank — of a river
  11. bank — for money
  12. toast — bread
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. fall — the season
  15. shower — to wash
  16. fall — to drop
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. track — a path
  21. track — to keep track
  22. fall — to drop
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. racket — for tennis

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