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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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. safe — out of danger
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. roll — a cake
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. band — a music group
  8. capital — money
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. capital — a city
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. bat — the animal
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. deal — to handle
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. band — a ring
  20. lie — to recline
  21. roll — a list
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. band — a rubber band

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