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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. date — the fruit
  10. can — a tin
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. can — a tin
  14. mark — a trace
  15. can — to be able to
  16. net — in sport
  17. mark — a grade
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. rash — a series
  20. bark — to shout
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. net — after costs
  23. rash — hasty
  24. date — on the calendar

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