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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 116 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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. march — the month
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. club — a group
  6. content — happy
  7. march — the month
  8. club — for golf
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. bass — the fish
  11. rash — a series
  12. field — farmland
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. content — the amount
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. club — for dancing
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. field — for sport
  19. march — music
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. field — a subject
  22. rash — hasty
  23. bass — low music
  24. racket — for tennis

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