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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 hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. tear — from crying
  6. bass — the fish
  7. net — for catching
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. spell — magic
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. bass — low music
  13. wake — a trail
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. spell — letters
  16. net — in sport
  17. tear — to rip
  18. spell — a short time
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. net — after costs
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. tear — from crying

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