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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. kid — child
  7. chair — a leader
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. pit — a hole
  12. pit — in a race
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. kid — to tease
  16. net — after costs
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. net — in sport
  20. fine — all right
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. net — for catching
  24. fine — high quality

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