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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. squash — the sport
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. wind — moving air
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. clip — a video
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. drill — the tool
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. drill — a practice
  16. clip — to cut
  17. drill — army training
  18. wind — moving air
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. clip — for paper
  22. date — the fruit
  23. foot — a measure
  24. squash — to crush

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