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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.

Make a worksheet

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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. season — in sport
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. season — of the year
  8. net — after costs
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. net — for catching
  12. shower — rain
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. shower — to wash
  15. rush — hurry
  16. fork — in a road
  17. key — in music
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. key — the most important part
  21. net — in sport
  22. chair — a leader
  23. key — for a lock
  24. rush — a thrill

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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