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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. fine — all right
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. wind — moving air
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. roll — a cake
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. wind — moving air
  18. kid — child
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. pit — in a race
  22. fine — high quality
  23. pit — a hole
  24. roll — a list

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