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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. shower — to wash
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. shower — rain
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. key — in music
  11. board — to get on
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. drill — a practice
  14. wind — moving air
  15. branch — a division
  16. drill — army training
  17. bat — the animal
  18. key — the most important part
  19. wind — moving air
  20. drill — the tool
  21. board — a committee
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. key — for a lock
  24. wind — to turn a key

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