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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.

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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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  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 — a loud noise
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. chair — a leader
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. last — finally
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. current — electric
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. current — of water
  12. current — happening now
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. mine — for digging
  15. last — final
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. last — to go on
  19. land — ground
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. bat — the animal
  22. land — a country
  23. land — to come down
  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