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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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. last — final
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. last — finally
  8. chest — of your body
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. last — to go on
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. pass — a permit
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. chest — a box
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. chest — of your body
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. bowl — a dish

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