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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. snap — to click
  3. hand — help
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. swing — to play on
  7. rock — a stone
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. bore — to drill
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. swing — music
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. bore — to tire
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. rock — music
  16. swing — in golf
  17. object — an aim
  18. hand — in cards
  19. cell — in biology
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. cell — a phone
  22. object — a thing
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. object — to protest

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