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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. can — a tin
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. mine — for digging
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. march — the month
  10. dip — to sink
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. can — a tin
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. kid — to tease
  15. can — to be able to
  16. march — the month
  17. kid — child
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. perch — the fish
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. march — music
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. cabinet — ministers

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