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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. shower — to wash
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. rule — a law
  6. fork — in a road
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. bass — low music
  9. bat — the animal
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. key — for a lock
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. key — in music
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. rule — government
  19. key — the most important part
  20. shower — rain
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. bass — the fish
  24. bass — the instrument

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