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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. mark — a trace
  3. scale — in music
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. kid — to tease
  9. season — of the year
  10. bat — the animal
  11. suit — clothes
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. suit — to fit
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. suit — in cards
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. kid — child
  20. mark — a grade
  21. scale — size or range
  22. bass — the fish
  23. bass — low music
  24. bat — for baseball

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