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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. scale — size or range
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. present — a gift
  8. dip — to sink
  9. roll — a list
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. mine — for digging
  15. roll — a cake
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. scale — in music
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. present — there

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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