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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. pitch — completely
  4. track — a song
  5. present — there
  6. wound — an injury
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. present — the time now
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. kid — child
  12. kid — to tease
  13. bound — certain
  14. bulb — for light
  15. track — a path
  16. present — a gift
  17. wound — an injury
  18. bound — obliged
  19. bound — tied together
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. track — to keep track
  24. bulb — for light

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