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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. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. last — final
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. chest — of your body
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. roll — a cake
  11. shower — rain
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. chest — a box
  15. foot — a measure
  16. last — finally
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. last — to go on
  19. chest — of your body
  20. roll — a list
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. shower — to wash
  24. hide — to keep secret

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