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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. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. stand — to bear
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. wound — an injury
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. track — a song
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. track — to keep track
  13. mate — a friend
  14. mate — to breed
  15. mate — a partner
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. track — a path
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. scale — size or range
  22. wound — an injury
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. scale — in music

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