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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 120 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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. deal — to handle
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. squash — to crush
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. root — of a word
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. root — the cause
  13. pit — in a race
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. pit — a hole
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. root — of a plant
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. sharp — clever
  23. squash — the sport
  24. deal — an agreement

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