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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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. pitcher — a jug
  4. wind — moving air
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. mark — a trace
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. bass — low music
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. mark — a grade
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. bass — the fish
  14. wind — moving air
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. stock — goods
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. stock — shares
  19. wound — an injury
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. wound — an injury
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. racket — for tennis

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