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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. shower — to wash
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. capital — a city
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. squash — the sport
  17. squash — to crush
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. dip — to sink
  20. capital — money
  21. last — finally
  22. shower — rain
  23. last — to go on
  24. last — final

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