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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. pitch — completely
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. band — a music group
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. kid — to tease
  19. band — a ring
  20. kid — child
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. bat — the animal

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